


The Last of the Children of the Big Three

by TSPofAmbition



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Nico di Angelo, Gen, Hera isn't that bad, Hurt/Comfort, If the tags don't already give that away, Nico Feels, Nico-centric, On a hiatus till exams are done, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Nico, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, new chapters in march-ish, that will be fixed by timetravel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24739315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TSPofAmbition/pseuds/TSPofAmbition
Summary: Words rose to his lips like a prayer and crystallised in the frigid air as he spoke them with reverence. "I swear to save them. I give my oath to heal the timeline. I swear it on the River Styx."Above him, thunder roared and lightning struck, illuminating the body of fourteen year old Nico di Angelo, wracked with tremors from sixteen years of torment.Seven half-bloods stood to fight but despite their best efforts, the world fell in a hail of fire, a storm that stole the breaths of millions simultaneously.But time is as immutable as the interpretations of the prophecies that govern it and if one battered boy from a hellish future can reimagine it, he can change it.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 234
Kudos: 577
Collections: All Time Travel All the time, Time Travel AUs, Time Travel and World Travel, Time Travel fics for Sol to read on her Interdimensional Travels





	1. A Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> This story is not beta read so please excuse any errors.
> 
> I adore comments, they make my day and motivate me to write so please do let me know what you think and any ideas you would like to see happen. I have a very vague outline of the way this fic will go so if you want something in particular, I might be able to add it.
> 
> Subscribe to the story to keep track of my sporadic update schedule and leave a kudos if you liked it. Most importantly, I hope you
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

"Perhaps I too have been directed by prejudice." The Goddess said heavily. "Despite my distaste for my husband's children, I still saw them as superior and Perseus had of course, proven his worth. It was... foolish of me to think that they were the best choice despite their parenthood."

"Don't." A heavy sigh rattled through broken lungs. "Your champions are dead, Lady Hera. Do not ask me to take their place."

"You are the last of the children of the Big Three. Despite your reticence, you know you are the best choice." 

"The word you are looking for is last, not best." The boy whispered with difficulty. "And I won't be last for very longer. You and I both know how close I am to death."

Hera was silent for a long while. "I suppose even death doesn't mean as much to you, does it, Hero?"

"Some hero I am." Skeletal limbs moved to sip at the water that had been placed on the table. He did not know why he still tried to stay alive but perhaps Hera was right. Death had stopped meaning very much once Tartarus had claimed the Underworld as his domain. Elysium, Asphodel and the Fields of Punishment had been merged together to form the working force of the realm. Immortal, souls may be but even the most valiant warriors' rebellion failed when they were made examples of. 

"No, my Lady." He said, not bothered by the long silence. She was just as used to it as he was. "It may have once, but the thing about being one of Father's children was that death was never very permanent. Oh, I mourned them alright, but reincarnation was what I feared."

"You sister chose to live again, didn't she?"

He hadn't thought upon that particular sister in a while and he hummed thoughtfully as he was reminded of her. He wondered when he had gotten over her loss enough to be able to discuss her fate so nonchalantly. "She did and Father refused to let me know where she is now." He looked out of the window beside his bed. He was hardly strong enough to walk to it, let alone climb out and try to escape. "I hope she is human. They have left the human world more or less alone and even though that will likely change now that the last pockets of resistance have fallen, it will let her be happy for a while longer."

"You are kind."

"No... I don't think so. I value the ones I call mine. I would have them be happier if I could grant it but I am or, was rather, ruthless to those I didn't care about."

"You are very young, child." Hera said, a note of sadness in her voice.

"To you, I'm sure." He hissed as he moved to stretch his sore arm. "I certainly don't feel it."

"And I mourn that."

The silence stretched out between them. They had never been the most closest of acquaintances but circumstances dictated their relationship and so it had come to the point that they were comfortable enough in the silence between them.

The slow creaking of their cell door signified the arrival of the demigod's meal. Perhaps once the smell might have elicited a reaction beyond the turning of his stomach, but starvation had left its mark beyond the emaciated body and hollowed face. A bowl was pushed onto the table and the water skin filled once more. 

"Thank you." Nico whispered and a slight bob of the head was his only answer as the door shut and locked behind the girl. 

"Who was it today?" He heard as he sipped slowly.

"A girl, hair in a boycut and brown eyes. She seems familiar, perhaps a former Huntress."

Hera sighed, more in exhaustion than disgust. There was only so long that one can be fuelled by rage and defeat upon defeat was enough to breed weariness. "With Artemis gone, they lose their protection. I don't blame them for their decisions."

A startled puff of air that might have been a laugh interrupted her thought and she raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Forgive me." He replied with a hint of his old dry humour in his tone. "You have changed so drastically from what I remember, it really is extraordinary."

It was tantamount to the aforementioned change that her only response was a huff of muted outrage and not instant murder. "I never considered changing either." She said eventually. "Humans, demigods really, change for a reason, in response to a stimulus. I suppose the Gods never faced such a stimulus from which we could change. We had... stagnated."

"Hmmm, not entirely." Nico said. "I reckon Kronos was close enough that it frightened many of the Gods. That was a worthy stimulus and there were definitely better relations between Gods and their children after the Titan's war."

"I suppose." Hera offered. "Perseus was rather impossible to placate. Still, it's a pity that we didn't change quicker."

The demigod glanced sharply in her direction, obsidian eyes glittering with sudden light. "Do you really think that would have made a difference?"

The Queen of the Gods averted her eyes in what might have been shame. "Unlike the Titan's war, this was out of the hands of the demigods. Romans and Greeks joined forces, the camps united, the Athena Parthenos was returned. There really was nothing more you could have done."

"The Pit." The son of Hades posited. "That was the greatest loss."

"Perhaps." Hera granted. "But we expected plenty from demigods in a quest we wouldn't dare undertake. I do not blame Perseus or Annabeth for falling to the Pit."

"So you claim that it was the failure of the Gods to join forces with the demigods?" He said incredulously. "It wasn't like we expected the assistance in the first place. Guidance was all that both Jason and Percy would have asked for."

"Then guidance we should have given." Hera said quietly.

"Enough, my Lady." The boy said, turning slightly to rest on his side. "I grow weary of what ifs."

"You would have made a fine Champion, Ghost King." 

"I am broken and very close to the death I once craved. I have given up in every way that matters and I do not recall the last time I thought of raising a sword to the Giants." He looked at his trembling hands in disgust. "I don't have the strength to do so, even if I wanted."

"My Champions should never have been just the strongest. Jason and Perseus may have been powerful and charismatic but there needed to have been a liason to the Gods." 

"Please, my Lady," he said, very close to begging, "Just let me sleep." 

"How old are you child?" Hera asked gently.

"Sixteen in January, my Lady." He replied. "The twenty eighth

"The coming of age." 

A mirthless laugh. "In terms of my actions, I came of age at ten, Lady Hera."

"There was a reason the first Great Prophecy specified the age to be sixteen. It symbolises decisions and change. If Perseus had turned against us, it would have been fitting that it was his first action as a man."

The son of Hades scoffed. "The only change I foresee is that from a broken body to a broken wraith."

"I see." 

She let him be in blessed silence after that. As a goddess, she had no need for sleep or food, though Nico assumed she rested, simply to stave off boredom. He himself had become increasingly weak after the last debilitating injury, spending the little time he wasn't talking or eating, asleep or close to it. With Morpheus's destruction, demigod's prophetic dreams seldom bothered him though he had enough nightmares of past events to choose from. 

From what he had managed to gather, the giants had attacked Olympus, ousting and destroying the three Elder Gods then and there. Most of the Council of Gods had fallen that night, though a few including Apollo and Artemis, lived to die another day. The minor gods had not mounted much rebellion upon the fall of the Big Three. Their loyalty had always been shaky and with no reason to die for a dead king, a majority defected. 

Hera, Gaia had claimed as prisoner, to watch out the end of the world as a result of the failure of her plans. 

Nico had been the last demigod rebel when the Hunters of Artemis had surrendered after Thalia's death. The seven of the prophecy had perished at the Doors of Death, when Tartarus himself had walked out of the pit. Reyna had fallen mere moments after delivering the Athena Parthenos, at the hands of Gaia herself, exhausted and battle worn. A large part of both camps had fallen that day, the Earth Mother's rise heralded by streets of blood. 

The few that survived had organised the first wave of the Unified Rebellion but with monsters refusing to remain dead, they were soon overrun. Satyrs, dryads, naiads, all good nature spirits fell, swallowed by the gaping maw of Gaia's euphoria.

The second and last wave of the Unified Rebellion had comprised every last demigod that fought in the memory of the Gods. Nico hadn't had the time to wonder at the hundreds of adult demigods that arrived at Camp Half-Blood at Chiron's summons but for the first time since he had seen Percy's broken body at Gaia's feet, Nico felt slightly hopeful. Buoyed by the story of Jason and Percy's colosseum defeat of the twin giants, wherein all Dionysus had done was strike the final blow, they decided to break Hera out of her prison. 

She might not be the most warlike of the Gods, but if the demigods worked together, they could perhaps restrain the giants enough for her to finish them off.

It wasn't to be.

To this day, Nico didn't know what went wrong, but the mission was doomed from the start. For starters, the location of Hera's prison was in Tartarus, a location that precious few were ready to breach, especially when they knew that both Annabeth and Percy had fallen in the pit. It had taken both Nico and the head medic, Will Solace to convince the demigods, both new and old to risk it. 

Next, despite taking every precaution against spies, from charmspeak interrogations to the Apollo kids judging the veracity of their declarations, the giants were somehow prepared for their attack. They were met at the Underworld entrance to Tartarus by more monsters than any of them had seen in their lives. 

The ensuing fight had been a bloodbath, nothing short of a massacre. More than five hundred demigods had fallen and the remaining two hundred had fled, without even attempting to collect the bodies. Broken warriors lay beaten, their life force spilling out of their battered bodies, rotting without even the dignity of a funeral pyre.

Nico hadn't been lying when he told Hera that he was ruthless but more than that he was loyal to the ones he cared for, the last of whom had perished at that last battle. The few surviving demigods had surrendered at the Earth Mother's feet but Nico's defiance had never been for the Gods, choosing instead to return to the battlefield and bury the few demigods he had called friends. He knew the dangers of his choice but he had nothing left to live for and precious little to die for.

Sure enough, he was met at the site by Alcyoneus and taken to Hera's prison in chains, but not before enduring the sadistic pleasure the giants took, in breaking his body to match his spirit. They left him alive, like Hera, to watch the world burn for their failures. 

He couldn't burn the image from his mind, Gaia's delighted smile as she narrated the story of the last battle to the former Queen of Olympus while Nico gasped for life in the adjoining cell. He remembered her parting words, titling him, "The Last Loyal Demigod."

He woke up with a jerk, the moniker ringing in his ears as he moaned lowly at the aggravation of his injuries. Unfortunately he was well versed in handling his disturbed sleep and so was the Goddess if the soothing hum from her cell was any indication. 

"Thanks." He muttered when he managed to get his breathing under control.

There was no reply but it didn't phase him. He had always been shadowed in silence though he hadn't particularly enjoyed it. His mind tended to wander in the quiet, through unsettling what-ifs and impossible futures.

He was roused from his thoughts several hours later. He had no way of knowing just how long it had been but the sun was long set. The demigod from earlier had not returned and he assumed that he was going to be denied food for the day. It didn't matter, he doubted he could eat much and in the face of torture, starvation felt tame.

"Your coming of age is tomorrow." Hera called suddenly.

"Is it?" Nico replied tiredly. "Well, happy birthday to me then." His smile was bitter in the pale light and his head ached. "How do you know that, my Lady?"

"When Kronos was... destroyed by Perseus and Luke, his domain was inherited by his children. I suppose it manifests in strange ways."

"Time, huh?" Nico muttered, curious inspite of himself. "What is it like?"

Hera inhaled slowly. "Time is... curious. It's flexible, yet at the same time, not. The nonsense about fixed events is just that, nonsense but it is still maintained by the prophecies." She considered. "I suppose the prophecies would be considered fixed events but then again, they can be interpreted in different ways, so more adjustable than the mortals believed. I considered-" She stopped abruptly.

"Yes, my Lady?" Nico prompted.

"Travel through time." She finished and Nico felt his breath catch.

"What do you mean." He said hoarsely. 

"The prophecy would still come to pass." She amended quickly but Nico didn't care about that.

"You said prophecies could be interpreted differently. If I ensure that the prophecy is interpreted in our favour, I could change events?"

"You could." She admitted carefully. "But there is a big chance that it wouldn't work and the prophecy would come to pass in the same way or a different way but still in their favour. You would be forced to see the world destroyed again. Child, that would break you!"

"I'm already broken, My Lady." Nico gasped out, emotion suffusing his mind. "If I can have a chance to fix it, I would try a thousand times over. _Please._ "

The Goddess stayed quiet for so long, that Nico wondered if she was ignoring him. He could barely breathe through the burgeoning hope he had forgotten. He hadn't told a lie, even if it broke him, he was ready to try, even the hint of success was enough to aspire for.

"It's midnight. Your coming of age." Hera said quietly. "Is that your decision?"

" _Yes! Yes, oh Gods, yes!"_

"I cannot send you back before the Titan's War and you will have to pick a time when you know exactly where you were." Hera warned. "The first thing you must do upon completing the journey is meet my past self and ask her to see your thoughts."

"Yes, My Lady." Nico replied. "Forgive me but, this body..." He hesitated, looking down at his skeletal torso in disgust.

"Your soul will pass leaving your body here. You will have to find a way to get rid of your past soul as well."

Nico took a deep breath. "I understand, My Lady. What must I do?"

Hera's voice was laced with power as she spoke. "Think of the moment you will travel to. Remember every detail you can recall of the location and time. When you have gathered yourself, imagine shadow travelling to that time and place. I will assist you."

"Yes, My Lady." Nico said, gritting his teeth as he forced himself into a seated position. It had been so long since he last shadow travelled but the power came to him easily. He knew exactly when he would be travelling to, had known it since the moment Hera had mentioned time travel.

"Go child. Once more the Gods place their hopes on a demigod."

Nico inhaled sharply at the power buffeting across the room. It was heady to stand in the vortex of so much strength and he was reminded again that despite her pacifism, Hera was the Queen of the Gods.

"Thank you for everything, Lady Hera." He whispered as he slipped away into the shadow. He felt weightless, shedding the broken body as he was pushed through the darkness, mind whirling as he grasped onto the location and _pulled_ himself towards it.

As he felt himself land heavily, the words of the Great Prophecy rang through his mind, a final warning for the boy out of time and the words he would have to reimagine into a happy ending. 

_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,  
To storm or fire, the world must fall.  
An oath to keep with a final breath,  
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. _

He could begin right then, he realised with a start. They never found out which oath had been made by dying breath, but if death was defined as the passage of the soul from the body then he could fix that line immediately. If it took his life, then so be it. He was there to save his friends and if he had to bear the burden, then it was only fitting.

Words rose to his lips like a prayer and crystallised in the frigid air as he spoke them with reverence. "I swear to save them. I give my oath to heal the timeline. I swear it on the River Styx."

Above him, thunder roared and lightning struck, illuminating the body of fourteen year old Nico di Angelo, wracked with tremors from sixteen years of torment.

The words of a prophetic vow rung in the stillness.


	2. An Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Cover your eyes, my heroes!" Hera called as she began to glow with power. Her long, dark tresses bore a golden crown and her eyes were fierce as she gazed upon the stragglers of the battlefield. 
> 
> But Nico wasn't looking at her.
> 
> He was gazing at Jason in silent horror as the Son of Jupiter refused to shut his eyes, swaying slightly in a daze. Nico stared as Hera began to take her divine form and Jason didn't or couldn't look away and _moved_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it even though it was written in a bit of a rush in between studying for my exams. 
> 
> Please leave you comments and kudos, they motivate me to write and I need the validation. Subscribe to keep track of when I decide to upload and lemme know if there is something in particular you want to see happen cuz I have no direction for this story aside from the major fix its.
> 
> Most importantly, stay safe and healthy, and don't forget to 
> 
> Enjoy!!
> 
> ~Teaspoon.

Nico awoke with his head on fire.

He groaned heavily when even the slightest movment set off anvils in his ears and clamped his hands over his aching temples. He had no idea what he had done to warrant such agony, but he couldn't recall anything. Gasping and moaning in pain, he opened his eyes slowly to see the light blue sky above him and felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight.

He didn't remember the last time he had managed to get an unobstructed view of the sun in all its glory and he couldn't help but gape at the glorious sight. He wasn't sure if it was the pain that dulled ever so slightly or the euphoria at his freedom but he couldn't help but delight in the reprieve as the son of Hades sat up gingerly and took in his surroundings. Deep green foliage speckled with bright flowers and the faintest scent of incense. 

The graveyard in San Francisco.

"Holy Hera." Nico whispered out loud. "It worked."

It was a few weeks after he brought Hazel to Camp Jupiter if he was not mistaken. He had managed to make camp close enough that he could keep an eye out for her and separate enough from the other demigods that he wouldn't have to deal with their suspicious looks. Children of Pluto were rare enough that two appearing at one time was already strange and he didn't want to risk being interrogated about the circumstances.

Unlike Hazel, he embodied every stereotype of Children of the Underworld. She was kinder, less tortured and far more likely to warm up to the other demigods. Still, his protective nature had insisted that he remain close enough to protect her if she needed it even if he wasn't welcome in the Roman camp. 

Now, of course he knew better. Knew about Reyna's quiet protectiveness and Frank's steadfast loyalty. He was certain that between them, Hazel would find the home he had never dared to seek and now that he had returned to a foreign time, one he was unlikely to receive.

He had been aiming for the day before Jason, Leo and Piper's quest was due to complete and by the looks of it, he had succeeded. That gave him one less prophecy to deal with if their quest went uninterrupted as well as a chance to meet with Hera's past self when she was freed.

His head was still aching terribly but he was an old hand at working through pain. With minimal movement, he packed up as much as he could and hauled his belongings over his shoulder. Hopefully he would be back before Hazel started to worry. 

Mount Doom wasn't a particularly large distance to shadow travel but with his head throbbing, he didn't want to risk it. A day's walk and several small jumps should get him there in time to catch the battle's climax and hopefully manage to catch Hera's eye.

He stumbled through the streets, gaining several looks for his drunken gait but he wasn't stopped. Even better, somehow he wasn't waylaid by a single monster though that could be because they were preparing to attack Jason, Leo and Piper. With every step he took, his temples throbbed fiercely and he had to bite his tongue to keep from whimpering in pain. Considering he couldn't recall a debilitating migraine the first time, it had to be a result of the time travel though attempting to find a reason was beyond his groggy mind.

His vision flickered with black when he collapsed out of the shadows into a shady grove and he moaned softly as he felt bile creeping up his throat. He could hear the sounds of battle ahead though, so he forced himself to push forward. Through the ringing in his head, he heard a distant, "Praise to Gaia!" and struggled to move faster. Even though he knew that the three had survived and won the battle, he couldn't tamp down on the anxiety he felt.

The howls of pain and roars of the giant were growing closer or maybe just louder and it wasn't doing anything good for his head. If he strained his ears, he could hear Jason's cries and Piper's voice though he tried not to focus on it. He couldn't hear Leo, though the hum of power tools gave him hope that the son of Haphaestus was doing okay.

The clearing up ahead was wreathed in a dense fog that he attributed to Khione but through the wisps of white, he could see Jason squaring off against a giant that he recognised immediately as Porphyrion. 

Bare handed.

If he could manage it, he would have facepalmed at the unique mix of reckless and brilliant that Jason encapsulated so perfectly. As it was, he slumped against a tree, a hysterical snort bursting out of his mouth that he only just managed to stifle. 

"Got it!" Leo yelled from somewhere.

"Sleep!" Piper charmspeak enhanced voice followed, so forcefully that the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring. 

Nico felt tears pooling in his eyes at the sound of their voices. Their unique dynamic and the incredible teamwork they always had was something he had always envied. 

_Gods, he had missed them._

This must have been the moment the battle turned in their favour, he reckoned. Porphyrion was backing off and Hera had been freed from her cage. All he had to do was manage to intrigue her enough that she would seek him out. The channels to Olympus were closed by Zeus and he didn't fancy his chances in finding a way through them.

"Cover your eyes, my heroes!" Hera called as she began to glow with power. Her long, dark tresses bore a golden crown and her eyes were fierce as she gazed upon the stragglers of the battlefield. 

But Nico wasn't looking at her.

He was gazing at Jason in silent horror as the Son of Jupiter refused to shut his eyes, swaying slightly in a daze. Nico stared as Hera began to take her divine form and Jason didn't or couldn't look away and _moved_.

He didn't think but his body moved automatically to save his friend, _his brother_ , throwing himself between the Queen of the Heavens and Jason. He watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly. His head exploded into pain so much worse than before that he couldn't see or hear or breathe. His body felt like it was on fire and he thought he might have screamed but if he did, he couldn't hear it. His last thought, slightly hysterically, was that he had definitely got Hera's attention, before everything went black and then a brilliant blinding white.

He came to on his knees, vomiting into the grass infront of four terrified demigods and Hera's own calculating gaze. He was trembling violently and his clothes were smoking like he had been struck by lightning but surprisingly his headache was nearly gone, a few twinges of pain that probably had more to do with his nausea than the involuntary light show he had been subject to.

"Nico?" He heard and glanced up to find Thalia Grace gazing at him in worry. "What are you even doing here?"

"Coincidence." He gritted out, spitting the last bits of bile from his mouth and grimacing at the taste. "I heard the sounds of a battle and came to investigate."

"What were you doing on Mount Doom?" Jason asked, suspiciously and Nico felt his heart sink at the distrust. Jason had always taken care of Nico like a younger sibling, especially after their expedition to Cupid's lair. Despite his disgruntled attitude, Nico had cherished the feeling, one he had sorely missed since Bianca's death. To hear the suspicion in that voice hurt dreadfully but Nico was nothing if not a master at concealing his emotions. 

"I travel all over on tasks for my Father." He said evenly. "And I don't think you should be too upset about it, considering I just saved your life."

He didn't dare look back at the Roman and see his expression but he could imagine it well enough.

"Thank you." Thalia said, relief colouring her tone. "I don't know what I would have done if Jason died after I just found him, so... thank you."

Nico nodded slightly. "I'll be going then." 

"Wait!" Piper called. "Aren't you injured?" She pointed at the pool of sick. "Do you need help?"

"It's fine." Nico replied tersely. "I managed to get a tiny glance at Lady Hera's divine form. I'll be fine."

"You looked at Tia Callida's godly greatness and lived to tell the tale?" Leo said, in surprise. "Who are you, dude?" He paused. "I'm Leo Valdez." He added. "Son of Haphaestus."

"Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite." Piper said. "And the guy you saved from dying of stupidity is Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter."

"Grace?" Nico repeated, glancing at Thalia. 

"I thought he was dead. Turns out Zeus is a jerk in both his Greek and Roman forms." The huntress said spitefully. She sighed.

"Oh." He said, flinching as the skies rumbled with thunder. What did it say that he had missed Zeus's temper tantrums? 

"So who're you?" Leo asked again. "I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed you at camp and you seem to be an old hat at all..." He waved his hands at the carnage, "this." 

"I'm Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades." Nico said tiredly. "I'm not usually at camp. I'm a little more... nomadic."

"That's the Death God, right?" Leo said, immediately back to fiddling with something he must have pulled out from his toolbelt and Nico braced himself for the fear that was practically synonymous with his Father's title. "That's pretty cool."

"What?" 

"It's...cool?" Leo said looking confused. "Is it not cool?"

"That's not usually the first reaction I get." Nico said tightly. "Most of them are closer to Jason's than yours."

Something shuttered in Leo's eyes. "Well, I think it's cool." He declared. "Especially since you saved my friend over here." He nudged Jason pointedly. "My very ungrateful best friend who didn't even thank you for doing so."

Jason rolled his eyes but nonetheless thanked Nico, sincerity oozing out of every pore. It was hard to hold a grudge against someone so genuine, even if he wasn't the Jason Nico had lost. When he offered their help in getting off the mountain, Nico just waved it off, not trusting himself to speak to the former Praetor without giving away the depth of affection he held for him. 

Thankfully, Thalia seemed familiar enough with his penchant for solitude, because she helped him escape their well intentioned nagging. Nodding his farewells and expertly dodging Thalia's questions on Percy's whereabouts, he dissolved into the nearest shadows and stepped out into his campsite. He reckoned that Hera would come to interrogate him as soon as she sent the other demigods off so he settled himself down on the nearest flat rock to wait.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew was the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Years of travelling alone had made him paranoid to an extent he hadn't even realised until he discovered that not everyone was so sensitive to their surroundings. Ultimately it had helped him, kept him alive in hostile environments and helped him survive another day so he wasn't going to regret it.

"Lady Hera?" He called cautiously.

"Indeed, Nico di Angelo." The Goddess stepped into the clearing with a humourless smile. She fixed him with a bland look that sent shivers down his spine. "You interfered with my Champion's quest."

Nico swallowed. "Technically, so did Thalia."

Hera snorted. "The Huntress is under Artemis's jurisdiction."

"Lord Zeus's laws don't affect demigods. There's nothing stopping me from saving a friend in need."

"A friend who had never met you before?" Hera replied sarcastically and Nico's expression shuttered at the reminder.

"Yes." He said tightly. "He's my friend even if I'm not his just yet."

"Just yet." She repeated, realisation dawning on her. Something dark flickered in her eyes and she _glared_ at him in fury. Her eyes widened. " _Time!_ You foolish boy! You have meddled with time?" The clearing seemed to _breathe_ with her power at the accusation. "You weren't affected by my divine form either. What dark powers have you been dabbling in, Child of Death?"

"Nothing!" Nico yelped. "I swear, My Lady, I haven't done anything! Besides, you can see my thoughts to confirm it."

The Goddess still looked thunderous but Nico's submission seemed to have tempered her fury slightly. "I will have you dragged to your Father's realm in chains if I find evidence of Kronos's powers." Her expression didn't soften. "Don't you dare resist." She said shortly as she placed a hand on the demigod's brow.

Nico had been more than slightly worried that allowing Hera to see his memories would require him to relive them and to say that he had not been looking forward to it was an understatement. Thankfully, and to his great relief, it appeared that he was safe from that particular nightmare. He simply sat, still as the stone he was perched on, as the Goddess rummaged through his memories. He didn't know how much time had passed before Hera let go of him, tears running down her ethereal face.

"Oh, child." She whispered, voice breaking slightly. How the Fates have forsaken you."

Nico flinched violently, the first hints of irritation creeping into his expression. " _Don't_ pity me."

"It's not pity, Nico." Hera replied. "But I am sorry that you had to live through that. I may have seen the memories but I can only imagine the torture of having to live through them."

"I'm changing it." Nico said tersely. 

"I presumed so." She said, with only a hint of relief. "And you have decided how the prophecies are to be interpreted?"

Nico hesitated. "I don't think there is much to change in the initial quests." He said softly. "Percy, Hazel and Frank are amazing. They don't need my help, especially if it will affect the outcome. Your past self agreed with me. There were no problems until Tar- The Pit." He hesitated for a long moment but Hera didn't push him.

"I don't think I should change the quest for the Athena Parthenos either."

Hera didn't seem surprised. "It's a good plan to leave as much as you can unchanged. Not only will change invalidate your knowledge of events to come but it might also lead to less than favourable outcomes."

"I know." He grimaced. 

"Then why are you hesitating?"

"The Pit." Nico averted his gaze. "If I let Annabeth's quest go as planned, I need to be the bait. Which means, I need to be captured in... there."

He couldn't bring himself to name the hellhole. Names had power but it was less about alerting the primordial being and more about his own fear. He couldn't help the terror at the thought of returning to the scene of one of his worst nightmares. "I'm definitely not letting Annabeth or Percy fall again after Arachne but if I'm captured by Otis and Ephialtus, then I'm going to be too weak to survive long enough to close the doors." He ignored the tremble in his voice, and if Hera noticed it, she didn't say anything. He didn't voice the thought that he would have to enter the Pit of Eternal Damnation twice. He didn't need to, Hera's solemnity meant that she understood the sacrifice he would have to make.

"I'm sorry, child but the prophecy's line is too damning." Hera said kindly with no small amount of sorrow. "'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' I cannot think of an alternate interpretation of those lines."

"I know." He said softly. "But I had hoped..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head, banishing the train of thought. "Forgive me, my Lady." He said. "I'll have to think on that particular situation a bit longer." 

"So the only prophylactic outcome you will change is the Great Prophecy." Hera said, accepting his change in topic. "Your idea has merit as long as you ensure that each line has been carried out. It would not do for a forgotten part to stab us in the back on the eve of success."

"I will not let that happen, Lady Hera." Nico replied, rising to his feet. His shoulders lifted slightly and his back straightened with the natural grace of a fighter. With his dark eyes set in the expression of pure determination, Hera could see the strength of so many other Heroes in him. The air felt oddly charged, his words almost a vow, though one he seemed to be making more to himself than the Goddess he was addressing. At that moment, she agreed whole heartedly with her alternate counterpart. Nico di Angelo might have been the only choice but that did not lessen the fact that he was almost certainly the best one.

"Then, may the Fates be kind to you." She looked almost regretful as she stood to leave. "Zeus has cut off all communication from Olympus, especially mine after my meddling. I'm afraid that I will not be able to help you any further."

"I understand."

"Then close your eyes, child. With the loss of the original soul in your body, you are as mortal as they come and will not survive another glance of my divine form."

Nico obligingly shut his eyes but instead of the rush of power he expected, he felt hands on his temple gently pull him forward before a maternal kiss was placed on his forehead. "Good luck, Hero."

The clearing swelled with power and the son of Hades shivered violently, blinking in discomfort against the afterimage of glowing light. There was no sign of the Goddess aside from his phantom touch of a mother's hands and the tingling of his brow where she had brushed her lips against his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods I love Nico. Why aren't there more stories about BAMF Nico? His character is so perfectly set up for fanfiction writing!


	3. A Possibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something was pulling him however, a compass needle pointed towards Camp Half-blood and ruled as he was by intuition, he was loathe to disobey. Maybe he could see if Leo and Jason and Piper were back safely. 
> 
> ~~Maybe he could see Will breathe again.~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Will and Nico meeting! Please leave a comment on your likes, dislikes and opinions. Give me a kudos if you enjoyed. Stay safe and don't forget to 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Nico didn't know why he went back to Camp Half-blood. 

Frankly speaking, he knew that he had at least two months to spare since he knew exactly where the Doors of Death were located but he had expected to spend them as he usually did, communing with a few dead spirits and avoiding living human interaction. Something was pulling him however, a compass needle pointed towards Camp Half-blood and ruled as he was by intuition, he was loathe to disobey. Maybe he could see if Leo and Jason and Piper were back safely. 

~~Maybe he could see Will breathe again.~~

The primary reason he was reluctant to follow his gut was the fact that camp had been the main headquarters for most of the second half of the war and he didn't trust himself to be able to keep from panicking at the slightest hint of a threat. Best case scenario, he could have a panic attack and show just how vulnerable he was to the entire camp. Worst case scenario and what he was terrified of was reacting disproportionately and Gods forbid, injuring a camper. He didn't know which if the two would be worse for his reputation but he didn't particularly want to find out. 

Still he went, leaving behind an emergency drachma for Hazel to contact him with. He didn't care that she was Roman, Iris didn't either and it would be hypocritical to the extreme if Zeus broke his isolation just for that. He collapsed out of the shadows in a deserted alley, coughing slightly and wincing. A last minute battle with a gryphon had not gone entirely in his favour. It had managed to get a lucky bite before it was forced into Tartarus and its poison, while not deadly was decidedly not-fun to deal with. Maybe he could borrow some ambrosia from camp before leaving, he thought optimistically.

Peleus, the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece, was just as docile as he remembered, nuzzling softly into his hand and whining for treats. Nico thought that he might be one of the only animals that didn't panic at his presence. He fussed only slightly but it allowed Nico to enter unmolested. 

Even though it was in broad daylight, Nico naturally migrated to the shadows, not exactly hiding, but not advertising his presence either. He passed the smouldering ashes of last night's campfire, and let a fond smile creep across his face at the memories. Perhaps in his last life, he might have been reminded of his ostracization but with so few happy memories, the darker parts had been smoothed over by bittersweet nostalgia. 

There were Ares campers wrestling in the pit and the harpy-like screech of one of the Aphrodite girls in the distance. The maniacal cackling of the Stoll twins and the furious retort of what could only be Katie Gardner were exactly as he had remembered. The scent of strawberries in the air was heady; Pollux was probably still alive to care for them, he realised and the atmosphere exuded a peace so gratifying that Nico almost wept.

He had been wrong. This camp was so far removed from the hellish, twisted version in his memories, that he could hardly believe it. The camp of his future had been decimated, first by the incomplete Roman invasion and then Gaia's revival in quick succession. By the time, he had managed to get a good look, it had been well on its way to ruins and no one had the energy to spare on rebuilding. 

This camp, while still showing signs of repair after Kronos's invasion was whole and relatively unmarred and it left Nico breathless with joy. He hadn't thought about the ramifications of his jaunt through time but for this moment he would go through it a hundred times over. The chance to fix everything had never seemed such a blessing as it did at that sight. He barely noticed the delighted smile that lifted his lips ever so slightly as he walked just a bit slower, taking in the sights until he reached the Big House. 

"Nicd di Angelo?" Chiron's voice broke him out of his reverie. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Chiron." Nico breathed, sounding just a bit too breathless for Chiron to fix him with a worried stare. He never did find out what happened to Chiron after the last battle. Presumably, the centaur had either perished at Tartarus or been executed later as he couldn't imagine him bowing at the giants' throne. "Sorry." He shook his head to disperse the memories. "I was just thinking about something else. How are you?" 

"I am very well, my boy. Preparing for the Great Prophecy but then again, it seems like that's all we've been doing for the last six years. What brings you to camp?"

Nico fidgeted. "I just thought I'll stop by, refill my supplies." He paused. "Give information on Camp Jupiter."

He held his breath at the long pause but Chiron only huffed lightly. "I know what it's like to be governed by divine will, Nico. If a God told you to keep it secret, there really isn't anything you could do. That being said," He fixed him with a beady stare, "any information is helpful especially if we can confirm Perseus's presence."

"I don't know about Percy." Nico said, not untruthfully, because at that time, he genuinely had no idea of when the Son of Poseidon would turn up at Camp Jupiter. "But I was there long enough to confirm that they are honourable. They won't attack unless they were attacked first and the Praetor, Reyna is fair and just. Jason would probably know her better but she wouldn't turn Percy away if he turned up."

"That's good to know, I suppose." Chiron said kindly. "I presume they are more martially inclined?"

"Yeah. Their version of Capture the Flag is literally War Games and their cabins are arranged in cohorts." Nico reported. "They will probably respond better to official requests for an alliance instead of our more... laid-back approach." 

"I'll see what we can do." Chiron promised. "Is there anything else?"

Nico debated. On one hand attempting to change events meant losing his foreknowledge. On the other hand, there was no prophecy that even hinted at the continuation of the distrust between the two camps. They would be in a better position if the camps were allied well before Gaia's revival and the eidolons were the only things stopping that.

"Gaia's forces will aim to keep the camps apart." He said finally. "They should probably be warned about that as well to stop any kind of misinformation or misinterpretation of any of our actions from happening." There. That seemed vague enough that it wouldn't draw attention to Nico's prophetic knowledge while still serving as enough warning for both sides.

Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind." He smiled proudly at the Son of Hades. "You've grown, Nico."

Mortifyingly, Nico felt his pale cheeks flushing as he sputtered at the centaur. "I've- what even...? I'm going, okay!"

"Of course." Chiron inclined his head with a sage smile. "The infirmary is open if you want to take your supplies."

Nico grumbled to himself as he made his way through the Big House to the medical supplies. Chiron's grandfatherly tendencies were old, he should be used to them by now. There was no need to get so flustered over a single compliment. He cursed as he rifled through the stores of ambrosia and nectar, tipping squares of the godly food into his backpack. His bandage supply was getting worryingly low and if he was going to have to survive three days in the Pit, until the giants found him, he would need all the help he could get. 

His gaze caught on a silvery bottle and his brows rose at the label declaring it 'Unicorn Draught'. Back before they attempted to take Tartarus, Will had discovered that it was the best treatment for the backlash of his powers. He blinked back tears at the memory of the medic grumpily scolding him as he dressed his wounds and force-fed him the draught. Will had been a surprise he hadn't expected, a friend when he thought he had lost them all and fittingly enough, a ray of sunshine amidst the dark and dreary. Almost unconsciously, he reached for the bottle, feeling the familiar weight against the callouses of his sword hand.

"What are you doing with those supplies?" The heartbreakingly familiar voice echoed through the halls as if summoned by the memory and Nico almost doubled over at the _ache_ that coursed through his heart. 

"Will." He mumbled faintly, without turning towards the voice. He knew the expression on that ~~beautiful~~ face like the back of his hand. The annoyance, worry and confidence that only Will Solace exuded. 

"Hey, Nico! Buddy, is that you?" The second voice jolted Nico enough that he half turned away from the supply cabinet. 

"Leo?" The Son of Haphaestus was draped over Will's shoulder, dark eyes ringed with darker circles and hair limp and uncared for. His face was pale under the tan and his characteristic grin was dimmer than usual. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy, bud!" Leo waved off his concern. "Will's just a little paranoid."

"I _am not_!" Will groused. "You haven't eaten in _two days_ and you've probably been awake for even longer. I'm sure the rest of your cabin can manage without you for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep."

"Will." Leo said placatingly. "Amigo. Pal. Buddy, I don't think I've ever got eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. I'll take a quick nap and I'll be right as rain in a bit. You dont need to be such a mama bird." 

Nico watched their interaction with a disgustingly fond smile. He couldn't help it. Will's continued annoyance at everyone's disregard for their health had been a constant no matter how terrible the situation and once upon a time, he had been the one subject to the Head Medic's insistent mothering. 

He took a step forward to pause their bickering, arms raised in platitude when Will gave him one look and squeaked in shock. 

"Is that a gryphon bite‽" He sputtered in shock. "Why in the name of Apollo, Zeus and Hades are you walking around with an _untreated gryphon bite_ on your shoulder?"

"In my defence, I am here for ambrosia?" Nico offered sheepishly and winced at Will's growl. 

"You!" Will pointed at Leo threateningly and the Latino boy squeaked, "you will get to the infirmary and _sleep_ and so help me Gods, if I find out that you have touched a tool in the next six hours, I will knock you out myself, capiche?"

Leo nodded frantically and disappeared quicker than Nico could see.

"You on the other hand," Will glared at Nico, "will sit your butt down in the infirmary and let me _treat_ your wound and if I hear another word about 'just ambrosia', I will send you to your father _the hard way._

"Got it." Nico said weakly. Will in full medic mode was terrifying and he wasn't going to be the one to cross him when he was like that.

He was steered into the infirmary and pushed into a surprisingly comfortable seat before Will began placing supplies on the table beside him. "I'll have to cut away your sleeve if you aren't comfortable taking off your shirt." He said apologetically.

Nico froze but gingerly pulled off the black t shirt. He didn't dare look at Will's reaction to his scars. The last time he had been shirtless in front of the boy, they all had scars, ugly wounds were simply a way of life. Now, in front of a younger, more complete Will, he felt self conscious to show his broken parts, simply gritting his teeth as the Son of Apollo began to hum as he cleaned the bite.

"I'm Will Solace, Son of Apollo, in case that wasn't obvious." Will said as he wrapped the wound. "I don't think we've met before, though I know _of_ you, of course."

Nico chuckled bitterly. The detached, slightly curious tone was aggravating. "Which version have you heard off? The 'dark, brooding Son of Hades, one step away from massacring the entire camp' or the 'cunning Nico di Angelo who trapped Percy Jackson for his father and jeopardised the war effort' version?" 

"I think it was more the 'mysterious demigod who arrived at the perfect moment, leading an army of the dead to save us all' version." Will said softly. "The one who helped bury my fallen siblings with dignity despite not even staying at camp."

Nico was silent for long enough that Will finished tying off the bandage and began refilling his forgotten backpack with supplies. He was far more meticulous than Nico, wrapping the individual squares of ambrosia carefully and adding antiseptic and mortal pills. 

"I've heard of Will Solace too." Nico offered quietly. A peace offering. "Head Medic and Cabin Head of Apollo Cabin. The best healer in several centuries."

To his delight, Will blushed scarlet at the compliment, and sputtered inarticulately. "Absolutely not." He managed to get out. He pouted pathetically at Nico's wide grin. "I think I liked you better when you were all broody." He complained. He zipped up Nico's bag and handed it over. "Are you going to be staying for the bonfire?"

"I wasn't considering it." Nico said. "Probably not."

"Stay." Will suggested. "If you don't have anything else to do. Just for a couple of days until your arm heals."

"My arm will be fine." Nico grumbled. "It's been fine every other time, what makes today any different?"

Will shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that for my own sanity." He paused. "But seriously, stay. Leo seemed eager to talk to you and maybe I can instill one healthy habit into you."

Honestly the only issue was to Nico's own psyche and he had always been pretty good at ignoring his body's response to trauma so he might as well continue to do so. Besides, he had always been weak to Will and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. The simple image of Will's golden head in the sterile infirmary was one he had treasured in the previous timeline as a moment of peace and he was hard pressed to ruin it. 

He shrugged, wincing at the way it pulled his shoulder. "Okay." He said softly. "If you say so."

"Good." He dropped the last of the bloody rags in the bin and stretched. "D'you wanna see the Argo II? I don't think Leo'll mind and it's the only thing I can offer that's not the same old boring camp stuff you must have already seen."

Nico stood wordlessly to follow. As they walked, he couldn't help but notice the differences between the Will of his timeline and the one beside him. His Will had been quite a bit taller and built just a bit more solidly. While Nico had never been the biggest camper, Will had stood an entire head above him and nearly twice his width. This Will was clearly due another growth spurt, standing barely an inch above Nico. 

It was the way they held themselves that gave away their identity however. That and the look in their eyes. Even the worst of the Titan's War had not come close to the devastation offered by Gaia's revival and every survivor had left a part of themselves on that battlefield. 

"-so of course Apollo will be allying with Hermes. Don't you agree?"

Nico jumped at being addressed directly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Ri-Right." Will grinned weakly, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. "I probably shouldn't ramble so much, hah." He laughed self-deprecatingly and Nico felt something inside him twist. 

"No, it's not- I mean, I was just seeing the changes. I haven't been here in a while, after all." He said gesticulating wildly. "I didn't mean to ignore you, sorry."

"Oh!" And just like that his sunny smile was back and Nico wondered faintly if it was possible to go blind from a smile. "I suppose you mustn't have seen a lot. Especially with Leo, now that we've managed to reverse the Haphaestus cabin curse completely. That was a nightmare for a while. I can't imagine even thinking about the Argo II while that was going on."

"You're pretty close to Leo aren't you?" Nico said softly. He hadn't ever seen the two of them interact, Leo dying well before he made it to camp with the Athena Parthenos. They seemed like they would get along well, their good natured temperaments aligning and maybe Will could temper some of Leo's more self destructive tendencies.

"I suppose. He's a good friend if a little absent-minded. I was the one to show him around camp when he first came, yanno?" He sighed. "Nowadays, I feel like I'm the only one trying to get him to take care of himself. Jason and Piper are dating and while I'm happy for them, I can't help but feel upset on Leo's behalf cause they haven't even noticed how much he does. Everyone just seems to be giving him more deadlines and no actual help." He exhaled through his nose. "It's frustrating."

"It sounds like you're already doing plenty." Nico said honestly. "You can't really help him in the mechanical part so you're doing your best to support him in other ways, whether it is just motivation or medically related. Knowing Leo, he's probably grateful for just that."

"Yeah I guess." Will sighed. 

"You're an amazing friend, you know?" Nico said softly and Will blushed again. "Just being there for him."

He doesn't add that he had done the same for Nico when he had been too drained to talk. He doesn't add that he had been the best part of the endless war meetings before. He doesn't add that of all the deaths in the previous timeline, it was Will's that he mourned the most because they had been a possibility the war hadn't let them explore. He doesn't add that even if he could imagine that possibility with this unburdened Will, he couldn't imagine tainting him with the scars of a dead world.

~~He didn't add the 'I love you'.~~


	4. A Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo groused. "Maybe it could have given me some sort of idea of what exactly needs to be built into the ship instead of cryptically hinting at the end of the world."
> 
> Nico flinched violently at his words. Images of what he remembered to be the actual end of the world flashed through his mind like a gory slideshow and he felt his breath hitch and tremble. He hadn't had as many panic attacks since coming to camp and none in front of another person but he recognised the symptoms easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> One more chapter in Camp Half-blood. There'll probably also be a third, after which I'll get Nico started on actually changing stuff. Please leave a comment, they're really appreciated as are the kudos and bookmarks. Stay safe and don't forget to
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Surprisingly enough, Nico wasn't chased out of camp with pitchforks.

He wasn't _welcomed_ by any means, the suspicious glares and worried faces made that an impossibility, but the common census seemed to be that if the Golden Boy of the Apollo Cabin trusted him, then so would they. While Percy was the strongest camper and the face of the camp, it was the people who stayed year-round who ended up the most popular or at least the most trusted. Annabeth, Will, even Drew Tanaka and Charles Beckendorf before his death. They were the ones who taught the youngest kids, helped them through nightmares and served as the first line of defence in case of an attack; it made sense that they were the ones looked up to for advice. 

Annabeth had never fully trusted Nico. Her distaste for Hades after he got Thalia killed bled into her prejudice and when he betrayed Percy to his father, her opinion of him was cemented. With Nico's naturally poor social skills, it meant that the entire camp was pretty much set against him from the get-go, no matter how many armies of the dead he managed to raise. While that opinion eventually changed when he all but killed himself to get Gaia out of the camp boundaries, it was far too late for any kind of meaningful friendships. They followed him diligently into battle, trusting his lead but he never tried to get to know them and neither did they.

Will on the other hand, for whatever reason, seemed to find Nico fascinating, both in the previous timeline and the current one. He had spent every night asking, cajoling and then finally just dragging Nico to bonfire nights and pulled him into conversations like he genuinely couldn't read the tense atmosphere around the time traveller. 

Nico grumbled but knowing the importance of connections and more importantly, being unable to bring himself to dim the boy's smile, managed to eke out a discussion with more than just monosyllabic grunts. He found Lou Ellen of the Hecate cabin to be a fascinating person, both in her knowledge of the Dark Magic he had never thought much about and in her incredible ability to ignore every single one of Mitchell LeBeau's advances. 

The poor son of Aphrodite had likely never been rebuffed so thoroughly before and Nico found himself wincing for the boy when Lou Ellen turned him down bluntly while also managing to place some kind of curse on his ...face mask? He wasn't entirely sure of the details. 

Either way, between Lou Ellen's queries on curses being used as Punishments and commiserating with Leo when Will dragged him to bonfire nights as well, Nico found his social interaction quota for the next two years completed. It was probably best, he thought with a bitter grin, he didn't think there were many conversation partners in Tartarus. 

"What are you scowling at now, Edgar Allan Poe?" Leo asked, nudging him sharply. 

"Absolutely not." Nico replied calmly. 

"Really? I thought it was a good one, 'Quoth the Raven' and all that."

"He's actually a son of Thanatos." Nico said, lying back on the ground beside Leo. They were far enough away from the actual campfire that there was a slight chill in the air, not that Leo would notice it. Will was no where to be seen, probably being fought over by the youngest campers of the Apollo and Hermes cabins.

"Huh, makes sense." Leo mused. "So why the grumpy face?"

Nico tipped his head back far enough that he could see the stars, letting the pretty sight burn itself into his visage. "Just thinking about the Great Prophecy. It's definitely beginning and some of its lines are... troubling."

"You can say that again." Leo groused. "Maybe it could have given me some sort of idea of what exactly needs to be built into the ship instead of just cryptically hinting at the end of the world."

Nico flinched violently at his words. Images of what he remembered to be the actual end of the world flashed through his mind like a gory slideshow and he felt his breath hitch and tremble. He hadn't had as many panic attacks since coming to camp and none in front of another person but he recognised the symptoms easily. His nails dug into his palms as he tried to let the pain ground him but to no avail. His breaths shortened until he was hyperventilating and his vision darkened in the absence of oxygen. His chest was tight like someone was squeezing it but he couldn't fight off the attacker. He thought his hand might be bleeding but he couldn't feel anything beyond the pounding of his heart. 

"...in two, three, four. Out two, three, four. In two, three, four. Out two, three, four. Can you feel my breaths, Nico? That's it, breathe with me. In two, three, four. That's it. Do you know where you are?"

"Headquarters?" He whispered hesitantly. Nico's throat was hoarse but he recognised Will guiding him through the flashback. He wondered whether the rest of the camp was watching their General downed by his memories. His breath quickened again.

"Head...? We're at Camp Half-blood, Nico. It's me, Will? You're safe here. Kronos is gone, we're at camp."

"Kro...nos?" Nico replied in confusion. Had the Titan being revived as well? He didn't think the giants were going to share their victory with their mother's lesser sons. And why was he calling Headquarters, Camp Half-blood? Hadn't the Romans protested the name and it's implications?

"He's gone, Nico. Kronos is gone." A second voice chimed in. "It's me Leo, buddy. We're sitting by the bonfire at Camp Half-blood." Then more quietly. "Will, he's not breathing! His lips are blue, Godsdamnnit!"

"Leo..." The name shook him enough to begin to make sense of his surroundings again and he took a sharp breath in, that _burned_ in his chest. He coughed violently but he was breathing again and he felt the way the hands holding him slackened in relief. Will was still counting his breaths so he focussed on the repetitive inhalations to get back his bearings.

"Are you better, buddy?" Leo asked worriedly and Nico managed a weak thumbs up, cursing himself for the fear he could discern in his friend's tone.

"I'm good." He choked out. 

"You're _not_." Will said. "That's wasn't an ordinary anxiety attack or just a panic attack. That was a full on flashback!"

"I know." Nico replied tiredly. "I had a very informative conversation with a Vietnam veteran. He helped me get a hold on what was happening." 

"You should be talking to someone." Will fretted. "A therapist-"

"And tell them what exactly, Will." Nico interrupted but his sharp tone was belied slightly by the rasp. "That I fought in a war no mortal remembers? That I faced off against Gian- giant Titans and now I remember being tortured by them whenever someone screams?"

"Nico..." Will said softly in shock, his face paling at Nico's outburst. "Oh Gods, you've been _alone_ all this while. I'm sorry..."

Nico sighed. "I'm fine, Will. Or at least I'll be fine. It's not a big problem. I've been alone since I was ten anyway." He mustn't have managed to keep the bitterness out of his tone because both Leo and Will were gazing at him in pity. "Stop it. I'm fine. I've been fine for this long and I don't need your pity." He snapped harshly. 

He pushed himself to his feet, letting his muscles tense to hide their trembling. "I'm going to bed. Good night." He briefly entertained the thought of shadow travelling away immediately but something stayed his hand.

His default response to uncomfortable situations had always been to run and it hadn't done the slightest good in the previous timeline. He couldn't bear to remain the same if he wanted to make different choices and perhaps overcoming his cowardice ought to be first. 

He looked back at Leo's worried face and Will's stricken one and sighed. "I'm actually going to bed. I'm exhausted and I don't want to discuss this now. I'll... see you in the morning?"

Leo's expression softened and he offered a small grin. "Yeah man, go get your beauty sleep. We're here to listen if you need us." Will nodded in agreement but didn't say anything and Nico took it as his cue to leave.

He didn't actually plan on sleeping, flashbacks left him on edge and he knew any little sleep he managed to catch would be interspersed with nightmares that he didn't have the energy to deal with. However, the Hades Cabin, for all its illogical designing, was quiet, cool and dimmed, a blessing when he was keyed up and would allow him to plan ahead.

He would probably have to leave at least a month before he had originally found Tartarus, to both collect pomegranate seeds from the Underworld and make his claim of searching for the Doors of Death more believable. He probably ought to make a stop at Camp Jupiter as well, so he wouldn't be declared a traitor for giving information to the Greeks while hiding his identity from the Romans. It would probably give him a chance to talk to Hazel again.

His next issue was the most important of them all- the prophecy. He had a pretty good idea of how most of it was going to pan out and had made plans and contingencies for all but one line. The second line of the Great Prophecy was the one he struggled with the most. However much he tried to interpret it, he couldn't see how the line, 'to storm or fire, the world must fall' could mean anything different. 

The entire line was odd. Prophecies never had guarantees, or if they did, they spoke in the vaguest of terms so that the subjects of the prophecy were mutable. Take Percy's first prophecy for instance, the final line had stated that he would fail to save what mattered most in the end. While it suggested failure, the item in question was not obvious. To Percy, his mother had been most important. To Zeus, it had been the lightning bolt and to Hades, it had been the helm of darkness. When it eventually came to fruition, Percy had been given a choice and it was his choice that decided which of the items were saved.

The latest Great Prophecy however, seemed to declare that the world would _have_ to fall, which made no sense whatsoever. Why embark on a quest that was doomed to fail? Why attempt the impossible when they knew it was inevitable? If the world was guaranteed to fall then what were they fighting for?

Nico threw his dagger at the wall in frustration and watched as it lodged itself perfectly in the groove between the stones. What else could fall imply? Could the prophecy suggest a physical drop on height? Maybe the land would sink lower? Or perhaps it was Gaia who would sink lower being the... physical embodiment... of the... world.

Nico felt his heart rate quicken as he threw himself off the bed and to the written copy of the prophecy he had with him. There, plain as day, the prophecy stated that the world, _or perhaps the physical embodiment of the world, Gaia, would fall to either a storm or fire._

He felt a blinding smile stretch across his face, pulling at his cheeks but he couldn't be bothered to restrain it. With that last line reinterpreted, he finally had an idea of how he needed the timeline to arrange itself. It wasn't a guarantee by any means but it evened out his odds so much more than before. With a euphoric chuckle and a borderline maniacal grin, Nico felt the stirrings of genuine optimism in his chances of success.

Sleep came easier than ever before and the exhilaration carried on to the next morning even when he was woken up by Will's fretting at daybreak.

"I'm fine, Will." He said in exasperation, as the medic tried to get him to eat more at breakfast. "I slept _amazingly_ last night. It just was a bad day coupled with an unfortunate trigger. Don't worry so much."

"You might as well ask Apollo to give up poetry." Lou Ellen said, pushing passed them to lean onto his shoulder. "Will without his fretting would be like Camp without Chiron or something. He's already imprinted on you, it's best to just accept it."

"I'm not that bad!" Will protested.

"Uh, you kinda are, dude." Leo said, joining their group, dragging a half asleep blond demigod with him. "Nico, meet Clovis, son of Hypnos." He snapped his fingers in annoyance until the boy's eyelids fluttered open. "Clovis, meet Nico, son of Hades."

"Hnnng." Clovis offered the Italian boy before slumping back onto the table much to Nico's bemusement.

"Don't mind him." Leo said. "I'd say he's like this until he gets his coffee, but honestly he's always like this. Today's nothing special."

"Speaking of special," Will cut in, glancing at Nico, "you're coming with us today."

"Us?"

"Where?" Nico and Lou Ellen spoke in synchrony.

"Bunker 9!" Leo crowed. "I've been wanting to boast about my baby for months but no one appreciates fine craftsmanship aside from my siblings, so I decided to settle on the next best option- friends who are too nice to say what they really think and therefore offer me the validation my work deserves."

Nico glanced around at Lou Ellen's supremely unimpressed face, Clovis's disinterested one and Will's placid expression. He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Y'all suck." Leo said brightly, expression not faltering in the slightest. "But you're all I have at the moment, so you can't back out." And with that vaguely threatening phrase, he and Will grabbed his arms and began dragging him towards the woods while Lou Ellen cackled and Clovis snored behind him.

* * *

To absolutely no one's surprise, Bunker 9 was incredible. Even though Nico knew next to nothing about mechanics, he couldn't help but be awed at the incredible inventions Leo had in various stages of completion. Recalling some of the more stupefying creations the Son of Haphaestus would produce in the future only awed him more and he said so.

Leo, for all his posturing, didn't seem to actually expect Nico or even Will to truly compliment him and his flushed ears gave away his delight even as he crowed about it. 

The entire outing was very obviously a distraction for Nico and he couldn't help but love his friends even more for it. 

"Thanks." He says softly, without explaining further. "You guys... are good friends."

"Course we are." Leo said, airily. "Valdez and Solace, Professional Nico Wranglers. You're stuck with us now."

"Even if you leave camp." Will added tritely. 

Leo whirled around to glare at him. "You're leaving camp? Why? When?"

"There are a few lines in the Great Prophecy that I'm... uniquely qualified to interpret. I also have an in with Camp Jupiter so I can try and get them to be a little more open to accepting Greek allies. And," he hesitated, "you can't be blind to the other campers opinion of me. I'd rather not push my luck."

"I don't get them." Will grumbled. "Even Kayla told me not to be so friendly with you. I hate it!"

"I... uh, kinda thought they were glaring at me?" Leo said sheepishly. "My power ain't the most popular yanno? What'd you even do?"

"They have no right to judge you guys for your powers." Will said indignantly. "Just because it was dangerous in the hands of someone else a while back, doesn't mean that the two of you, who have only ever used it to help, deserve to be painted with the same brush."

"That may be true for Leo, but I did actually trap Percy in the Underworld." Nico pointed out.

"And then immediately helped him escape, gave him the strength he needed to fight and then managed to convince your Father to fight for the Olympians who never accepted him either!" Will continued in annoyance. "Don't focus only on the worst parts."

"I can't change their minds." Nico said, more than a little bitterly. Begrudging respect was as far as they were going to go, and that was in an apocalyptic future. He wasn't exactly looking to repeat that scenario. "Deep-rooted prejudices like that are not easily fixed." 

"Yeah, but I can still be annoyed on your behalf." Leo said. "And mine." He added when Will glared at him next. 

"And I can still try to change it." The Son of Apollo said determinedly. "If they just took the chance to _know you_..."

"I'm really not the most personable of people." Nico said drily.

Surprisingly, Will snorted. "Tell that to Lou Ellen. She's this close to asking you to out. If for nothing else it'll get Mitchell off her back at least."

Nico stiffened up in alarm. "She's what? I'm... not- I mean- uh... Why doesn't she just ask you? You're actually friends, it'll be more believable."

"You're her friend too, Death Boy." Leo said with a laugh. "As for her and Will, well the only way it would be even _less believable_ is if she asks Clovis."

"Yeah." Will joined in the amusement. "The whole camp knows that I'm very, very gay."

The world came to a halt.

If this were a TV show, Nico was quite certain that this would be a great moment for a record scratch.

"You're what?" He said numbly.

"I'm gay." Will said, sobering up at whatever expression, Nico had on his face. He sounded defensive. "Is that a problem?"

"Is this a joke?" Nico said, with no small amount of anger. "A prank on the stupid Son of Hades? How did you even find out about me?"

"If this is going to be a problem, you can just go ahead and leave." Will spat poisonously.

Leo looked between them in alarm. "Hold on, Will, I think this is a misunderstanding."

"Sure it is." Nico drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It is!" Leo insisted. "Look, Will really _is_ gay. I'm pan, myself. We're not trying to tease you or prank you or anything, I promise!"

"What?" Will sounded bewildered and despite his ire, Nico agreed with him. Will had never dropped the smallest hint that he wasn't straight. No one at camp had. There was nothing to be gained from outing yourself and while Jason had been strangely tolerant of his _damage_ , Nico was far too used to being the anomaly, the mistake, the aberration.

"Why would you even say that?" He asked warily. "Why would you let anyone know?"

"I've... never actually been in the closet." Will shrugged. "My mom knew almost as soon as I did and I've been at camp for so long that I never had to hide it."

"But the cops...? The people?" Nico sounded absolutely bewildered at his words and Will paled as he was struck by a thought.

"Oh Gods, you were born in the twenties, of course!" He snapped his fingers. "It's not illegal, anymore. Members of the LGBT community have rights now, gay marriage was legalised. It's completely changed from your time!"

"What?" Nico croaked, mind spinning with the information he was given. It sounded like some kind of dream, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to wake up from it. "What?" He repeated.

"Hold up! Time out!" Leo held his hands in a T formation. "Help the lost mechanic please. Nico was born, when exactly?"

"1924." Nico answered in a daze, ignoring Leo's choking at the year.

"How‽" 

"A long story involving the River Lethe, and a hotel that slows time, if Annabeth is to be believed." Will said.

Leo gave a strangled laugh. "That's... that's rough, buddy." 

Nico ignored him. "Is it true?" He asked Will roughly. "It's not illegal anymore? I could date a guy tomorrow and it would be alright?"

Will made a funny choking noise and his cheeks darkened. "Yeah. You can check in a library if you want but it's true. People are a lot more tolerant in this era, though some of them are still assholes." 

"Oh." Nico didn't know what to think. Bianca, and later Jason had been the only ones to ever know his sexuality. For years he had guarded it like a dirty secret, hid from every prying question, worried that it would come out but he... hadn't needed to. "I'm... I'm gay too?" He tested it out. Letting the words fall from his lips felt strangely like a physical weight dropping from his chest. 

Will made that choking noise again. 

Leo's expression was soft and he looked incredibly proud of Nico. "That's great, Nico. I'm... I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Nico said, still slightly disbelieving. "This doesn't feel real. I've never told anyone aside from my sister." He didn't count Jason, it was more a case of Cupid ripping the secret from his desperate grasp.

"We're here for you, Nico, no matter what anyone else says." Will promised and Leo nodded along. "You dont need to tell anyone else if you're not ready."

"Yeah! And if anyone gives you shit, they can meet a flaming fist!" Leo said with a cheeky grin. "Mine, if that wasn't obvious. We've got your back."

Nico looked the the two of them with something close to awe in his eyes. He didn't remember the last time he had a friend close enough to confide in, his parentage and antisocial behaviour made sure of that, but these two had somehow proved him wrong.

He hadn't dared to think of an after but... perhaps this time, he would not be left alone. 

Perhaps this time, the end would not have to mean goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. 
> 
> In regards to the last scene, if I offended anyone by misrepresenting the LGBTQ+ community, lemme know. I'm straight so my only experience with these kind of thoughts and circumstances are fictitious. If I have made a mistake leave me a comment and I'll do my best to fix it. 
> 
> Thanks!


	5. A Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth gritted her teeth at that, something flashing in her eyes. "This is the Underworld all over again, isn't it? Somehow you're the perfect one to play an important part, as long as someone else is removed from the picture. Hades' plans just coincidentally led you to Camp Jupiter and you are unable to tell us about it?"
> 
> "Hey!" Leo warned.
> 
> "Why didn't u think to mention it when Percy went missing? Maybe the _other demigod camp_ might have been a good place to search!" 
> 
> "Annabeth!" Chiron interrupted, tail swishing in irritation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Here's a new chapter for you guys. Please find all the comments and kudos, I'll very grateful for them! I'll probably get back to my sporadic updates after this chapter cuz our final exam timetable is out and I'll have to start studying seriously for it. Till next time, 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

"Chiron wants di Angelo and Leo to go to the Big House. Jason, Piper and Annabeth are already there, apparently it's something to do with the prophecy." The messenger was a bored sounding guy, with a beanie pulled low over his head. With the lack of any identifying features or behavioural quirks, Nico couldn't hazard a guess as to his parentage but at least he didn't seem to despise the son of Hades.

"Now?" Leo whined. 

"Uh huh. You might wanna hurry, Annabeth and the lovebirds are already there."

"It's fine, I can shadow travel us there." Nico said, stretching with a grimace. "Are you coming, Will?"

"It's probably something to do with the prophecy so no." Will sighed. "I'll head to the infirmary. My shift is starting soon."

"Suit yourself." Nico shrugged. "Come on, Leo." Nodding his thanks at the messenger, he grabbed Leo's arm and melted into the shadows. 

They were spat out in front of the Big House and Leo immediately gagged. "Dios mio, that was horrible. Is it that terrible for you too?"

Nico just shrugged. "I've probably gotten used to it by now." He said carelessly.

"Percy described it as 'going so fast that it feels like your face is peeling off'." Annabeth's cool voice interrupted their discussion and Nico felt himself stiffen up. The blonde demigod was standing at the door, with a neutral expression on her face. Her hair was unbrushed and the dark circles ringing her eyes told him exactly how devoted she was to finding her boyfriend.

"Hey, Annabeth." Nico greeted with a nod.

"Nico." She returned. "We were just about to begin."

Unlike the rest of the seven, Annabeth and Percy hadn't perished at the Doors of Death. They speculated later that the two had been captured like Nico in Tartarus and used to ressurect Gaia. Since it had been their deaths that were the beginning of the end, their bodies had been displayed to the demigods alongside Gaia's triumphant return. 

The current Annabeth was whole but behind the curtain of messy, blonde locks, he imagined he could see blood trickling down her face and under her chin, he could see the shadow of a slit throat, the smell somehow more nauseating than the gore he had fought through. 

He shook his head lightly and looked away from the sight. Leo gave him a curious glance but didn't seem to find anything strange as they settled down at the table.

"We are discussing the prophecy, right?" Leo said, pulling a twisted mass of wires from his tool belt and beginning to uncoil them. "Cause Will'd have come too if we weren't."

"We are indeed, Leo. I think it's fairly obvious that the three of you," he nodded at Jason, Piper and Leo in turn, "are three of the seven mentioned."

"Annabeth is probably the fourth." Nico said idly.

"Why do you say that?"

"If Lady Hera's plan goes well, or at least like it did here, Percy will probably have to go on a quest with two Roman demigods. They'll make the next three. The last demigod will have to be someone who is diplomatic enough to co-operate with both sides without having the bonds of a shared quest. The only other person I can think off is Reyna, Praetor of Camp Jupiter and I doubt she'd leave them without appropriate leadership." He explained. "Plus you're dating Percy. I doubt you're gonna let him go on a dangerous quest without you."

Annabeth was giving him a weird look, not entire hostile but still wary.

Jason didn't look convinced. "What about you?" He asked. "You're the best choice, being familiar with both camps and the other demigods. As a son of Pluto, I assume you're powerful as well."

Annabeth gritted her teeth at that, something flashing in her eyes. "This is the Underworld all over again, isn't it? Somehow you're the perfect one to play an important part, as long as someone else is removed from the picture. Hades' plans just coincidentally led you to Camp Jupiter and you are unable to tell us about it?"

"Hey!" Leo warned.

"Why didn't u think to mention it when Percy went missing? Maybe the _other demigod camp_ might have been a good place to search!" 

"Annabeth!" Chiron interrupted, tail swishing in irritation. "The Gods' will is not something to be toyed with! Whether Nico could have told us or not was not upto him and antagonising him won't help."

Nico was surprised to hear the centaur standing up for him. From his experience, he had found the immortal to hold a grudge against Hades, one that transferred to his children as well. The accusations were... slightly more vehement than he had expected, especially from the level headed Athena camper but then again he hadn't spoken to her while she was desperately searching for Percy.

She's desperate, he realised with an uncharacteristic pang of worry. She's used to being the one with all the clues and she missed a big one. Her reaction wasn't entirely outlandish either, he would have done the same thing if he knew someone had kept secrets that might have helped him find his friends.

"I'm sorry." He said, instead of riling her up further. "I checked Camp Jupiter the moment I heard about Percy, I swear. If I had managed to find a loophole I would have used it, but I was expressly forbidden from speaking about it."

Annabeth took a deep breath, letting it out slowly enough that he felt her calming down. "It's alright. We can't do anything about it. Just... tell us what you know."

"First off, I'm definitely not one of the seven." Nico told Jason. "Lady Hera confirmed it. But I can help from the outside. I have a few leads on what the Doors of Death could mean and I'll be leaving soon to check on them."

Despite already knowing this, Leo looked stricken. "When will you be leaving?" 

"Possibly tomorrow or the day after. I could stop at Camp Jupiter and give them a heads up if you think it's appropriate."

Annabeth hummed thoughtfully. "Leo, what's the state of the Argo II?" 

"She should be fine for travel in another month." Leo reported dully. "I'll need to coordinate with the Head Campers for supplies. Do you plan to use the video scroll I suggested? With Nico physically going there, I reckon it's useless."

"Probably." Piper said. She hadn't spoken since Nico came in and he had almost forgotten she was there. That was an odd paradox, the Aphrodite child who was more comfortable in the background. "If we give some form of official documentation, it'll seem more appropriate but Nico can always deliver it himself if we do so."

"Piper's right." Her boyfriend agreed. "We'll have to inform them of the demigods going from our side and ask about the ones on theirs. If we begin and maintain a correspondence, it will foster better ties." 

"Do you remember anything helpful, Jason?" Chiron queried gently. "In regards to the ones in charge?"

Jason grimaced as he tried to remember. "Reyna values honesty most of all. She has a pair of dogs that can sense lies. She's fair and immensely protective of the camp. The Centurions trusted the two of us completely, if you convince her, they'll be on your side."

"You missed Octavian." Nico said with a grimace. He didn't detest the blond augur as much as he had but he didn't particularly like him either. He regretted the man's death in the first timeline but had recognised that with Octavian actively antagonising him, they would have never formed an alliance.

"Octavian doesn't have that much power." Jason countered. "He's essentially a version of your Oracle." He explained to the Greeks. "If a little less precise. Either way, Reyna outranks him."

"His power lies in his powerbase." Nico warned. "He's a legacy which already means he has connections and he's ambitious enough to use Reyna's decision to try and replace her."

Now both Annabeth and Chiron were looking at him strangely.

"Do you really think he's that much of a threat?" Piper asked in alarm.

Nico thought of Bryce Lawrence and how he had followed, hunted and eventually cornered them while they struggled to transport the Athena Parthenos. He recalled Reyna's anguish at being accused of patricide and the aay the augur had authorised the brutal recapture. He remembered the way his pain had frozen the ground, and turned the boy into a ghost. He shivered lightly.

"I think he has the potential to be a problem but if we offer Reyna a good enough reason to ally, then he can't rile them up against her."

"Okay." Annabeth sighed, ask signs of her previous anger buried under the mask of strategist. "So in summary, we'll be preparing a letter that Nico will give Praetor Reyna at Camp Jupiter. If he finds Percy," her voice cracked, "he'll Iris Message _immediately_. We will travel to Camp Jupiter in one month's time, just the four of us and meet Nico there?" Her voice rose in question in the end and it was all Nico could do to not flinch at the question.

He knew exactly where he would be in one month's time and the closer the day came, the more he dreaded it. There would be no reunion for him until the Kalends of July, when hopefully Percy, Jason and Piper would rescue him from Otis and Ephialtis. "I'll do my best to be there." He said instead of giving a guarantee. "If something comes up, I'll have to go but I'll definitely catch up with you some time during your quest." 

"Alright, then I think we're done?" Jason looked at all of them in question before nodding decisively and rising from his seat. Piper followed him and took his hand with a light blush that he reciprocated. With a final sweet smile at them, the couple headed out. 

"Nico." Both Annabeth and Leo called simultaneously as the boy in question made to follow them and the Italian jumped at the sudden attention. 

"Ladies first." Leo said with a wink and Annabeth rolled her eyes in amusement. She waited till Leo stepped out before turning to him with stormy grey eyes. 

"I wanted to apologise for accusing you of putting Percy at risk." She began, much to his surprise. "I know that you care for him and wouldn't sabotage the search maliciously." She said with a general air of reluctance that belied her discomfort. Nico appreciated her apology, doubly so because he knew how proud Annabeth was and how it must hurt her ego to do so.

Perhaps in the past timeline, he might have added her accusation to the list of reasons he still held a grudge against her but in the present, he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but _tired_. He might have been jealous of her but after watching Percy jump into actual hell for her, he couldn't keep it up. His feelings for Percy, once a roiling mass of angst and heartbreak had muted substantially and while he would always have a soft spot for the green eyed demigod, it was no different from his feelings for Jason or Leo. "It's fine." He said, softening his tone ever so slightly as he replied. "I'd have done the same thing. I don't blame you for your overprotectiveness when it comes to Percy. Gods know he needs it."

Her neutral expression softened into a wistful smile. "I get what you mean." She said. "He's a bit of a Seaweed Brain, isn't he?"

"Gods yes." The Son of Hades agreed whole heartedly. "Remember when he took on Geryon with a bow of all weapons?" 

"Yeah and then he blew up a mountain." Annabeth chuckled wetly. Her eyes were shiny with tears that she hurriedly scrubbed away. "Sorry." She said in slight embarrassment.

"He's gonna be fine." Nico said awkwardly. He really didn't know Annabeth enough for this, he thought in alarm. "Just... Just have faith in him yeah? He's strong enough to come back to you. We've got a plan, isn't that what you Athena types like?"

"Yeah." She said. "Godsdamnnit, I'm just... relieved to finally have a lead. And a... plan. Sorry." She struggled to regain her composure for a minute before giving up entirely. "You've really changed, you know?" She said instead. "You're... calmer."

Fighting an endless war faced with loss after loss would do that, Nico thought bitterly. He shrugged. "I guess." He offered instead of taking the hint. 

"Leo wanted to talk to you, you should go to him."

"Okay." Nico said, getting up to leave. "I'll IM you the moment I get any news, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it." The Daughter of Athena said firmly and Nico was reminded again of the last time he saw her alive. She had been battered and bruised from her quest for the Athena Parthenos, ankle broken and straining from Arachne's final revenge but she had been just as determined, just as _prepared_ as the girl before him. She had faced even the worst of Tartarus with the same unstoppable strength and Nico respected her for it.

Leo was waiting for him outside the Big House albeit without his characteristic grin.

Nico announced his presence with a light cough and enjoyed the way Leo's eyes lit up on catching sight of him. He didn't know anyone else, besides Will who looked genuinely happy to see him unless he was bringing information or reinforcements. 

"So you're leaving tomorrow." Leo stated slightly morosely.

"I told you this is" Nico reminded him. "Besides as I said in there, I'll catch up to you on your quest. If my hunt goes well, I'll have useful information."

"You're more than your 'useful information'." Leo muttered spitefully. "You and Will are the only ones who I spend time around. It's one thing to know you're leaving and another to know you're leaving _tomorrow_." 

Nico didn't say anything. The truth was that he was terrified of how quickly he had managed to get attached to Will and Leo. Solitude had been his security blanket for so long that he wasn't sure he could survive without it. He hadn't had any compunctions about borderline kamikaze missions since travelling through time but now that he knew someone cared about him coming back whole, he was... torn. 

His plans for the Pit especially seemed to have the stakes raised even higher. While he wouldn't, _couldn't_ change them, didn't dare put any of the others at risk, he would have an added incentive for hia plan to survive. 

An incentive that was selfish. 

And inventive for him. And his friends who wanted him alive. 

It was a heady thought.

"I'm not trying to guilt you into staying!" Leo said in panic when Nico stayed silent. "I'd just... feel better if I knew you were safe. And coming back soon."

"I can't promise either." Nico said carefully, certainly not when he knew exactly what his quest entailed. "But I can swear that I'll do my best to survive." 

"Right." Leo said, acquiescing to the compromise. "Where are you even going? I suppose your shadow travelling is helpful there at least. That's a totally OP move by the way." He added with a faint smirk.

"The Underworld first." Nico replied. "I'll need to pick some supplies."

"Anyone else saying that sounds insane, you know right?" Leo shook his head. "What supplies d'you get in the Underworld?"

Nico's eyes twinkled with a teasing glint. "Pomegranates."

"Pome-" Leo looked bewildered. "Like in the myth? Stay in the Underworld forever if you eat something from there? Is that actually something you can do?" 

"No no." Nico's expression tightened. "It's more defensive. The pomegranates have a different effect on children of Hades. They're... a last resort. It puts us into a death like state, a death trance." His voice trailed off. He didn't want to think of why he was collecting the seeds.

"We'll, any weapon is helpful." Leo said with a grimace. "Let's hope you won't have to use it."

"Yeah." Nico managed to get out. "Let's hope."

* * *

Nico slipped out in the middle of the night. 

Avoiding the harpies was a piece of cake and he slipped through the shadows smoothly until he was past the Golden Fleece before finally stopping to give Camp Half-blood a long look. 

He hated goodbyes. They were final, a definite end, a fullstop where he would prefer a comma. He remembered how Bianca had bid him farewell, determination and excitement stark in her expression. He hated that his last words to her had been the harsh goodbye and he knew that he would regret that till the day he died and possibly even after given the nature of his parentage. 

Still, he depised the thought of telling Will and Leo, and even Lou Ellen, Jason and Piper goodbye, knowing that there was a possibility that it would be the last words they share. So he slipped away, his shadow the only witness as he collapsed into it, emerging amidst the familiar sulphurous air of the Underworld. 

Not far away, to the north lay the Pit he feared beyond all else. It might have been his imagination but the air in that direction seemed colder than usual. The constant buzzing of the spirits seemed to dull and the ever present shadows seemed to shrink away. 

He shivered violently.

Not yet, he pacified. There was still work to be done and for how terrible the experience had been, his first jaunt through Tartarus had been quick. It would be the second time that he entered that would be the worst of it. Not only because he had no script he could follow but also because he had no guarantee that the conclusion would be in his favour. Percy was string and Annabeth was crafty. Still they had failed. What would- 

Nico forcefully tuned out the rambling hysterics of his mind in favour of Persephone's garden. He hadade his choice. He would not fail.

Still, two words echoed through his mind, soothing it slightly.

Not yet.

A Pit _breathed_ behind him.


	6. A Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if in response to his prayer, a commotion erupted in the far side and the Fifth cohort marched in to reinforce the tired fighters. They were outfitted in fresh Imperial Gold weapons but it was their leader that made Nico nearly collapse in relief.
> 
> They were led by Perseus Jackson in the flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Please leave comments, kudos and bookmarks. Your opinions give me life and I love them. I'll probably not be able to respond to them for a while so sorry about that. I'll get back to them as soon as possible. Thank you for your kind words till now and don't forget to
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

"Praetor." Nico offered deferentially.

"Nico." Reyna stated imperiously. "You're really not making yourself seem trustworthy, you know."

"I know." He swallowed. "But I wasn't trying to make excuses. I know you have methods of confirming it either way."

"I do. But the thing about a weapon is that there will always be ways of countering it and I'm not blind to them." Reyna said, a weary look in her eye.

Nico didn't reply as Reyna held his gaze. He didn't know what she saw in his expression but she relaxed ever so slightly.

"Explain." She said, one hand on her dogs' collars. "If I find the slightest hint of dishonesty I will end you immediately."

"I understand."

The good thing about time travel was that it was never anyone's first suspicion so it was very unlikely that she would ask him anything that put that particular secret in danger. Everything else however was fair game and he knew it.

He began with the Titan's War and the first Great Prophecy. Octavian had reported a similar one but it had, to their knowledge been left unfulfilled. He detailed Percy's role in the war and Luke's sacrifice and watched her lip curl in annoyance at his acquittal.

Nico had expected that. Camp Jupiter, with its rigid justice system was unlikely to let his crimes go unpunished and as much as heard the campers extoll his virtues, he had to agree with Reyna. It was Luke's actions that got Bianca killed after all and he didn't think that his crimes deserved to be swept under the rug.

Still, Reyna did not express his displeasure, perhaps recognising that she had no jurisdiction to do so and Nico continued, mentioning Percy's disappearance and Annabeth's search. Finally, he told her about how Hades had directed him to Camp Jupiter when he found Hazel, carefully speaking around her origins. 

"So if not for the Gods's orders you would have revealed your origins?"

"Probably not." Nico admitted, but he didn't drop his gaze. He knew it wasn't the best thing to confess to but he had already lost one sister, he didn't think he would survive losing the other a second time. "But only because I see how your camp looks at the Greeks and Hazel has seen enough of prejudice."

The dogs remained completely silent.

Surprisingly, Reyna looked very faintly approving at that. "So you would have the camps ally in order to defeat the Earth Mother."

Nico flinched at the moniker. It was one more often used by the Giants and Gaia's minions. The demigods towards the latter half of the war had begun to use her name because they didn't have anything to lose by getting her attention. "Yes. Lady Hera seems to believe that a divided attack would not succeed and based on the evidence of the monsters' undying status, I'm inclined to agree."

"Percy reported two gorgons reviving constantly and near immediately." Reyna said thoughtfully. "And I'm inclined to believe that one of our demigods came back from the dead at the last war games."

Nico remembered that happening in the previous timeline, he had been there to see it and had been terrified that Hazel's secret would be outed as well. "It's not likely that it will happen again for us. It's harder for a demigod or mortal to find their way out of the Underworld without a guide. The monsters on the other hand just become better at it the more times they try." 

"I know." Reyna said. "It is... unnatural to meddle in matters of Death."

Nico stayed quiet, ignoring the unintended slight.

After a few minutes of deliberation, Reyna rose, Praetor cloak trailing behind her. "Thank you, Nico for your information. I'll contact Camp Half-blood about the alliance. Despite my previous knowledge, you make a compelling argument and I suppose Annabeth Chase will be reasonable to deal with."

"Thank you Praetor." He didn't have anywhere to go for the next few days and while he could just head back to his campsite, their was something keeping him where he was. Based on the timeline Hazel would be just finishing up her quest to free Thanatos and though Nico recalled very little about the events of this time, havings spent most of it looking through the Underworld, his instincts were demanding he stay.

"May I contact Annabeth within camp boundaries?" He asked. "She will be expecting news of Percy."

"Contact?" 

"The Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris is usually willing to allow communication as long as we pay." He explained. "Would you like to see?"

At her gesture, he led them to a fountain where the sunlight was making a rainbow. 

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Annabeth Chase, Half-blood Hill." He tossed the drachma in and waited for a reply.

Barely a minute later, a familiar pair of grey eyes was in sight. "Nico! Any news?"

"Annabeth. This is Praetor Reyna, Daughter of Bellona. She says that Percy arrived at their camp a few days back and was assigned a quest by Mars." He watched as her face crumpled through a series of emotions before finally settling on relief.

"Thank you Nico." She said heartfelt. Her mouth drew into a hard line as she took in the girl standing beside him. Reyna was similarly eyeing Annabeth, probably cataloguing her weaknesses. "Praetor, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena and I believe our camps could benefit from a joint approach to the latest Great Prophecy."

"I agree." Reyna said. "Would this method of communication work for Romans as well?"

"It ought to." Annabeth said thoughtfully. "Though you'd have to use drachmas. We could test it later, of course. It would make discussions far more convenient."

"Indeed. I'll leave you to your discussion then. Nico. Annabeth." With a final curious look at the rainbow, she turned away and walked back to the Principia.

"You weren't kidding when you said that they're more formal." Annabeth said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. It's very much a fully functioning society over here." Nico agreed. "They don't have much contact with the Gods and their proximity to Mt. Tam means they had to evolve quickly."

"I see what you- What in Athena's name was that?" Annabeth was cut off by a monstrous explosion from the borders and Nico spun around, already drawing his sword.

"No idea, but I'm gonna check it out." Nico said tersely. "I'll talk to you later." He cut the connection without a reply and practically flew towards the commotion, heart in his throat. Instincts that had never been honed in this body flared to life and his powers over the dead lay heavy in his chest.

He had barely made it to the source of the commotion, when there was a second explosion and the sounds of screams. He gritted his teeth at the sounds he had unfortunately become all to familiar with. An army of Cyclopes, Earthborn and what looked like dracenae on steroids were marching through the city, upending buildings and attacking the demigods who tried to defend. Centaurs and karpoi, grain spirits made up the vast majority of the invaders and Nico swore violently.

He didn't know if this had happened in the previous timeline or if he had worsened things by accident but he didn't have the time to consider. His breath quickened as he responded to the threat. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and in that moment all he could think of was 'yet another army'.

Nico didn't wait a second, body moving smoothly through the motions that had become second nature, his sword slicing through monsters faster than they could see. He didn't think as he parried away weaker attacks and dodged the strong ones. Demigods in various stages of injury gaped as he tore his way through the army, Stygian Iron sword a black void that left golden dust in its wake. 

Nico was barely aware, his entire mind focussed on the enemy he was cutting down, his body responding to his fury. He didn't know how many demigods he defended, how many cowered behind him as he unleashed death on the invaders. It wasn't until a familiar roar shook him to the core that he realised exactly who was leading the invading army.

"CAMP JUPITER!" The giant bellowed. "SURENDER IN THE NAME OF THE EARTH MOTHER OR DIE!" his every movement sent basilisks to the ground, the deadly snakes hissing in indignation. 

"Polybotes." He whispered. The giant was enormous, green scaly legs towering over the Son of Hades but Nico had faced more giants than he could count. He darted through his legs, aiming for tendons and hacking at them before slipping away again. He felt his connection to the dead and pulled at it. Skeletons dressed in tattered togas dragged themselves out of the ground and set to work against the monsters while Nico returned to his assault against the Giant.

Unfortunately, his actions had brought the attention of his foe and he had to dodge a hissing wave of poison before he could go on the offensive. He cursed as he felt his skin sting where he made contact with it but again, he knew exactly what the giant was trying to do. 

Instead of dodging the next spurt, he dissolved into the shadows, appearing behind the giant before he smoothly sliced through his Achilles tendon, forcing him to collapse onto one knee. "Underworld Spawn!" The giant cursed as he drew his trident and faced Nico. "Alcyoneus is already killing one of yours and I will do the same here. When I am through with you, you'll _beg_ for death!"

"Already done." Nico muttered as he nimbly dodged a strike from the enormous weapon. He refused to get distracted by thinking of when the giant had actually succeeded in his threat. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the next attack and he was thrown across the battlefield, only just managing to catch a shadow before he hit a wall and almost certainly died. 

He could hardly breathe through the broken ribs but he forced himself to aim another strike at the Giant's unprotected back. At the same time, he let the shadows coiling at Polybotes' feet thicken enough to bind him. The strike rang true but it barely managed to pierce his armour and Nico cursed. 

He landed safely to the side, reflexively pulling into the shadows as Polybotes roared his displeasure. He didn't know how he was supposed to kill the Giant without a God but if his past timeline was any indication, if he was sufficiently injured, he might retreat on his own. Above the battle he caught sight of Reyna on her Pegasus swooping down to attack with her lance. The cohorts had managed to organise themselves into a rough formation and mount a powerful attack. There were only a few skeletons still fighting and thankfully the legionnaires had adjusted to their unique strengths. 

With a quick check of his own fatigue levels, he raised several more skeletons, feeling the power drain almost immediately. Several grateful shouts were sent his way and more than a few screams were heard. Polybotes was sufficiently distracted by Reyna and it gave Nico some time to think. Being antagonistic to Poseidon meant that Polybotes was strongest in water. He could turn water into poison and his trident weilding was on par with the God. Nico had no chance of succeeding in a head on battle and unlike other children of the Big Three, he wasn't much interested in one. 

Under the cover of the darkness, he waited for Reyna's next attack and aimed his next strike at Polybotes' groin. He immediately followed up with a swift slice to the tendon of the Giant's other ankle, bringing him to his knees.

Polybotes _howled._

"You damned demigod! I will string you up by your entrails and slowly dissolve away your limbs. How dare you!" His aura, already bloodcurdling, swelled through the city, bringing demigods to their knees. The monsters seemed unaffected, using the momentary falter to take the upper hand. Reyna's lance tilted limply as she nearly collapsed onto the pegasus. 

"Ignore him!" Nico yelled in frustration. "Think about anything else, just ignore him! Count weapons, practice sword strikes, anything! His aura won't affect you if you don't fear it." 

It had taken far too long for the Unified Rebellion of the future to find a counter for the Giants' killing intent. Unless you were focussed completely on something else, it paralyzed you, sapping the strength from you muscles and replacing the adrenaline in your veins with fear. Janelle Wilson, a daughter of Hecate had been the brainchild of the response, using the theory of Mist manipulation to keep them alive just a little longer.

"You know far too much, Hellspawn." Polybotes spat. "If not for the Son of Neptune, I would be tempted to bleed you dry at the Mother's feet. Unfortunately for you, a slow death is all that awaits you."

"Speak for yourself." Nico said, pushing himself out of his crouch. He ignored the tremor in his limbs as he pushed himself to return to the attack. He had no idea how this situation resolved itself originally but he didn't have time to think on it.

"Please Lady Hera", he mumbled. "Please give us your assistance. Gods know we need it."

As if in response to his prayer, a commotion erupted in the far side and the Fifth cohort marched in to reinforce the tired fighters. They were outfitted in fresh Imperial Gold weapons but it was their leader that made Nico nearly collapse in relief.

They were led by Perseus Jackson in the flesh.

He was carrying an enormous golden eagle that distracted Reyna enough that she almost fell off her mount and looked like he just stepped out of a battlefield. More than anything, he looked _radiant_.

"Romans!” Reyna's voice boomed across the fields. “Rally to the eagle!” 

Legionnaires rushed to the symbol, a new hope etched in their hearts but Nico couldn't move. He couldn't look away from the sight but at the same time he couldn't bear to see it. A stinging pain, far worse than his injuries burned through his chest, leaving raw flesh in its wake.

Both the giant and the demigod were exchanging ripastes but Nico was deaf to them. It wasn't until the Eagle in Percy's hand sparked violently and sent lightning strong enough to wipe out the entire frontline of Polybotes army that Nico managed to actually move his numb body.

The sheer oddity of seeing the son of Poseidon weild lightning was enough to, ironically enough, shock Nico out of his stupor. With supreme difficulty, he locked down every emotion as far as he could. Maybe not the most healthy of ideas but it would have to do for now.

He shadow travelled towards the furious giant and winced as he threatened Percy. However, he stayed his attack, realising that the son of Poseidon clearly had a plan as he baited Polybotes. It wasn't until he dodged an attack in a move more reminiscent of a bullfighter that Nico realised just what he planned to do. 

"You're a Godsdamned genius Jackson." He said, just as Polybotes tripped into Terminus' boundaries.

“THAT’S IT!” Terminus cried. “That’s AGAINST THE RULES!”

Nico let out a disbelieving laugh and Percy turned to him in shock. "Nico? What are you doing here?"

"Long story." Nico replied shortly. "I'll cover, you find a way to coordinate with Lord Terminus?"

"Wha-? Aren't... How?" He swallowed down his questions, just nodding instead. "Right. Gimme a minute."

"Got it." Nico had never been the best at controlling rocks for all that it was a part of his father's powers, that title went to Hazel, but he knew enough to play distraction. Hefting a slab of marble dislodged from a building, he threw it at the Giant, propelling it with his powers enough to shatter completely on the Giant's thigh. "Hey Polybotes, did you forget all the threats you made against me?"

He slipped out of Polybotes own shadow, stabbing into the sole of his foot and then slicing them into bloody ribbons. He wasn't entirely able to dodge the poisonous jets of water Polybotes released in revenge and his body was aching, red and bleeding from several places. He stumbled momentarily at the pain and paid for that by being stabbed through the arm by one of the prongs of Polybotes' trident.

Black flickered through his vision and he exhaled sharply. "Perc-percy." He gritted out. "You about done?"

In reply a jet of water erupted from behind him, sharpened until it cut through Polybotes' armour easily. Riptide, Percy's Celestial Bronze sword flew true in its wake, burying itself into the gaping wound and not for the first time, Nico marvelled at Percy's tendency to throw his sword while fighting. It was one of the weirdest yet successful maneuvers Nico had ever seen and one only successful because of Riptide's ability to return to its wielder.

"What can you do, Son of the Sea? The Gods have forsaken you!" 

Percy smiled, or perhaps smirked would be more appropriate, and Nico's eyes stung at the familiar expression. "Meet my friend, Terminus. He's a God!"

With the final, parting ripaste, he hefted Terminus' statue burying it after Riptide and Polybotes screamed in agony. His flesh evaporated as he cried out in pain and his legs dissolved into the mud, leaving behind golden dust as the only evidence he had ever been there. 

"Holy Hephaestus, Nico! How are you still walking!" Careful hands came up to support him from behind and Nico flinched violently. "Easy, easy." Percy said as he put Nico's uninjured arm over his own shoulder. "Gods of Olympus, we need to get you to a medic."

"M' fine." Nico mumbled, trying not to tense up. Outside of the adrenaline of the battlefield, it was all he could do to keep himself awake against the blinding pain of his wounds. "I dropped my backpack near the Principia. There's ambrosia in there." 

"Okay. Can you shadow travel... or actually, hold on." He helped a groggy Nico to the side and helped him sit down. He pulled out a slightly squashed cube of godly food and handed it to Nico who sighed in relief at the smooth creaminess of tiramisu that filled his mouth. "I don't have any more and I don't think you should risk it either. The worst will still have to be treated."

"Yeah I know. Thanks, Perce." Nico said wearily. "Are you injured? Hazel?"

"I'm perfect. I saw Hazel with Frank last and he won't let anything happen to her."

"Good." Together, they hobbled their way towards the joyful gathering of demigods, who began chanting Percy's name as soon as he came into sight. Nico's eyes picked out Frank, one arm securely around Hazel and felt a smile tug at his lips. If there was anyone who deserved happiness, it was Hazel after all Gaia stole from her. 

The chanting only grew more frenzied as they seemingly declared Percy, Praetor for his return of the golden eagle standard of the Twelfth Legion and Nico felt his breath catch at the sheer delight on the faces around them. Percy was grinning, ear to ear, sea green eyes shining as he locked gazes with Hazel and Frank. Even Reyna had discarded her usual stoicism in favour of a smile.

It was the contentment of success, Nico thought. He didn't know how long it had been since a battle had gone in his favour but he had nearly forgotten how _perfect_ it felt.

* * *

"Hey, Reyna, have you seen Nico?"

"The Son of Pluto?" Reyna asked in surprise. "Sorry Percy, he got some urgent news and left. Something about the Doors of Death, I believe."

Percy's heart sank. "I thought he might have been avoiding me." He said with a slight frown. "I still don't understand why he never told us which camp he was from."

He noticed with some surprise that Reyna's expression was oddly protective and if that wasn't strange enough, it seemed to be directed towards the demigod of their discussion. She wasn't the only one, honestly. Romans trusted their sheild siblings. Nico's unhesitant leap into a battle to protect the legionnaires had greatly endeared him towards them and they had all but closed ranks around him. 

As they had with him as well. The last few days had been a blur of activity and conversation and he could barely remember the names of the demigods he had been introduced to. Actually, looking back on the situation and recalling Nico's rather reticent nature and his perchance for solitude, he supposed it wasn't too strange that he hadn't managed to have a conversation with the boy. 

Since neither of them had actually heard of or met the other while Percy had been amnesiac, he assumed that they must have just missed each other. No, the niggling feeling troubling Percy had begun when Nico had flinched violently when Percy tried to help him up. And the look in his eyes when he first caught sight of him, _Gods_ , it was like he had, pardon the pun, seen a ghost. 

His pale skin had greyed and his expression had dropped into one of _devastation_ , heartbreaking desperation and then eery blankness. Percy had never felt quite so worried for the younger demigod before and he needed to make sure that he was alright. 

Only, it seemed that he had missed him all over again. Trust Nico to be up and running after clues barely a day after being injured. Still, he consoled himself, there were only ten days before Camp Half-blood would be sending reinforcements and apparently Nico had mentioned that he would try to be back by then. That should be good enough, he supposed. 

He could talk to Nico then.


	7. An Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time.
> 
> The one action he had been dreading ever since he first stepped into this time. 
> 
> Tartarus, the Pit of Damnation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Leave your comments and kudos to motivate me! I usually reply to all my comments but that will be on a hold for the next two months or so, sorry! I hope y'all
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

It was time.

The one action he had been dreading ever since he first stepped into this time. 

Tartarus, the Pit of Damnation.

Nico stood at the edge of the Pit and felt his chest burn with old injuries, felt his head throb with old memories, felt his breath quicken with old fears. He had borne unbearable poisons, been tortured multiple times, felt his limbs be nearly ripped off and he still would consider Tartarus the worst pain of his life. This was were everything had gone wrong, Tartarus had been the beginning of the end; his foolish pride, his worthless arrogance that he was safe in the Underworld that had doomed Annabeth and Percy and the world in the end.

 _Someone would still have had to close the Doors from inside,_ a snide voice inside him whispered.

He ignored it.

He knew he had no chance against a primordial being, not one whose _body_ was the entirety of the landscape he had to traverse but all he needed was a chance, a second of being underestimated and he would be able to use that. In the last timeline, he had been too noticeable, too interesting and already known for his exploits by Gaia to fly under the radar, but maybe... just maybe, this time he might be able to sneak through the Pit's defences. This time he wasn't the leader of the Rebellion. This time he wasn't the Last Loyal Demigod. This time, he was just Nico di Angelo. Maybe it would be enough.

He gripped his backpack with trembling, white knuckled hands, finding little solace in the darkness he had always been comfortable in. His supplies were as extensive as he could make them, ambrosia, nectar, both mortal and godly medications and a notebook to record anything he might need to keep in mind for his next jaunt through... there. His sword was strapped to his waist, silver chain reinforced and glinting in the dim light coming from the Pit and his aviator jacket had been replaced by a much warmer coat that hung barely above his thick boots.

He hoped the others would actually come find him. He hoped that he hadn't changed enough that he was left abandoned to the twin giants. He hoped that he wouldn't have to claw his way out of the Pit before throwing himself back in there immediately. He hoped that he would get to live.

The frigid air that hung above the Pit like clouds were utterly stagnant, but somehow they seemed to tremble with the power of the Being below. Poised to take a near-suicidal leap of the edge, the demigod's teeth chattered and he shivered but he didn't know if it was due to fear or cold. It wasn't like it mattered.

This was almost every one of his worst nightmares come to life. He remembered the rush of relief that used to accompany his wakefulness, when he could convince himself that he wasn't still in there. He remembered Will helping him through flashbacks, promising him that he had escaped Tartarus. He remembered reaching for light, for food, for breath; things he had taken for granted until he couldn't reach them in Tartarus.

A hysterical laugh burst out of nearly blue lips. What would he have thought if he told his self then, that he would be willingly jumping back into hell _twice_ in the near future? That he would be returning to his biggest fear again?

Only... that wasn't quite true, he thought with a bitter smirk. Tartarus may have been hell, may have been one of his worst experiences, may have been the reason for ninety-five percent of his trauma but it would never be his worst fear. 

Not... not after he knew what it was like to lose them.

A familiar determination gripped his heart like a vice, holding him to the oath he made and firming the resolve in his chest. He knew the pain of loss and that was the one he feared, far more than the gaping abyss yawning before him. 

He clenched his fist, arresting the trembling and squared his jaw. The shadows danced above his head, familiar shapes bidding him farewell and his expression softened. He took a deep breath in, ignoring how the icy air chilled him from the inside out. He took a final look around at the cavern, whispered a last prayer to his father and every other God that deigned to listen, clutched the silver skull ring on his finger and called a soft goodbye to the shadows that accompanied him.

And he jumped.

* * *

"I tell you, there's something... off." The son of Haphaestus tugged at a lock of hair in aggravation. "I've been feeling this cold feeling all day. And... uh, it kinda feels like I'm pushing through something every time I try to move?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak but Leo barreled on. "I know you're probably gonna say that it's just nerves or exhaustion or something, but between Will and Nico, I got so much rest, I turned down coffee the other day. Coffee!" He gestuculated wildly, sending soot flying. "I just _know_ that there's something wrong!"

"Leo." Annabeth said, brow creasing into a frown. "I'm not gonna just dismiss your concerns. I've been feeling that cold feeling too." She looked at her map once more, tracing the territory of the Romans. "I was hoping it was some kind of protection Camp Jupiter has around the area but Jason couldn't remember anything like it and Piper and now you, claim to have felt it all day."

"Khione is working with Gaia and Evil Elsa is the only icy enemy we got at the moment." Leo said with a shiver. "Can I just say that I really, really, _really_ don't wanna meet her anytime soon? And by anytime soon, I mean that never would be a perfectly acceptable time."

Annabeth didn't grace him with a smile but she did shake her head at his ridiculousness. He was starting to think that she lived specifically to negate every ditzy blond joke that was ever made. "I don't think it's Khione. Not only would it be foolish to attack as we are entering a tentative ally's territory, but it would do more harm than good, pushing us further together. This cold feeling? It's more likely to be something to divide the camps, a common enemy would unite us."

"We've been entirely upfront during the negotiations." Piper said, coming up behind them. She had done something to her hair that made it look smoother than its usual untamed arrangement and unlike Jason, was wearing orange. "Gaia won't have anything to drive the alliance apart." She placed a comforting hand on Annabeth's shoulder and the blonde demigod relaxed almost immediately.

"Good to know." Leo said. "But there's still nothing explaining the spooky, shivery sensation and the only mysteries I enjoy are mechanical."

"We'll keep our guard up." Jason said. His hair was shorter, Imperial Gold sword strapped to the back of his purple shirt. He looked very... Roman. Leo didn't get why he showed his magical weapon when he could easily hide it as a coin but he had faith in his best buddy's familiarity with the Roman Camp.

"If you feel anything else weird or remember any monster that could cause this, tell us. Nico was right, this alliance will make or break this war." Annabeth warned. "Aye aye Cap'n." Leo said, offering a half hearted salute before heading back. Behind him she made a three fingered gesture and Leo felt the lethargy lift from his limbs for a second before the icy fingers were back on the base of his spine. 

He shuddered.

* * *

Reyna watched as the Greek demigods entered her Camp.

The Daughter of Minerva, or rather her Greek counterpart, Athena stood in the centre surprisingly. She knew that Jason wasn't one to cede authority to another easily and Annabeth must be very good to challenge and win against a Child of Jupiter to lead. Her eyes were stormy and held the same sort of hardness that her own had held since Circe's island. The girl had obviously seen hardship and refused to bow to it and that kind of strength was one Reyna was willing to acknowledge and even respect.

Jason himself stood a step behind, gladius missing, probably back on their warship as Terminus had insisted. He... didn't look very different, perhaps slightly tanner, but his hair was the same and he still stood with the loose stance of a Roman demigod. The only difference was in the way his body was angled, to defend not only himself but the Daughter of Venus as well.

Reyna gritted her teeth. Their relationship was very obviously new but likely forged during their quest and therefore not likely to be a fling. She ignored the flash of jealousy that surged through her at that thought. The girlfriend, Piper McLean did not appear to be highly trained, but then again her best weapon would be her words not her sword. She looked uncomfortable but forcefully relaxed, most probably used to diplomatic situations or at least ones she had to talk her way out of.

The last of their group, bringing up the rear was a Latino boy, Leo Valdez, the Son of Vulcan and if Annabeth was to be believed, the brain behind the incredible warship towering over the city. He was the only one grinning widely, gaping unabashedly at the sights and simultaneously fiddling with a... remote? He wasn't likely to be trained either, but again, as with Piper, his worth was in his works.

They had all proven themselves, Annabeth in her actions against the Titan Saturn and the rest in their last quest to free Lady Juno. According to their Oracle and Octavian's findings, her own Camp would be providing the remaining three members of the quest- Perseus Jackson, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang. 

The Son of Pluto wasn't there.

She would have expected Nico to be among the chosen but for whatever reason he had declined to participate. She had expected him to at least be present while they sent the seven off but again, he was nowhere to be found. And while logically she knew that he had always been flighty, her instincts were screaming foul play and she knew that she would have reached nowhere if she didn't trust her instincts. She hoped, for the quiet demigod's sake, that he showed up soon.

Her expression was blank as she escorted the Greeks to the dining area, her answer polite as she received the information about a possible threat by Gaia, her reaction controlled as Percy kissed Annabeth, and her head unbowed as they planned to leave her with the weight of an entire city again. 

She was stronger for her burdens and she knew better than to call attention to them.

"What of the Son of Pluto?" She said finally when she could hardly bear to look between Jason and Piper's smiles and Annabeth and Percy's easy compatibility. "Was he at the Greek camp?"

"Nico said he'd try to be here if he could but if he had a lead, he might not be able to." Leo said, not quite managing to hide the worried timbre of his voice.

"I think he's in trouble." Hazel said, absent-mindedly palming a diamond. "I haven't spoken to him in more than a week. He usually IM's at least once a week."

"Did he say where he was going?" Frank asked. "Or if he was likely to be doing anything dangerous?"

Leo snorted. "He was looking for the Doors of Death. He thought that as a son of Hades, he had the best chance of finding it. So, yeah... pretty 'dangerous'."

"Can we try to Iris Message him? He said that he spoke with Lady Juno, to confirm that he wasn't a part of the seven." Jason pointed out. "Maybe he found out something important? It would confirm that he's not in danger as well."

"Reyna!" Octavian interrupted, gritting his teeth so hard, she was half afraid it would chip off. "You cannot be thinking of letting them perform their Greek trickery in the middle of camp!?"

Reyna simply raised an eyebrow. "I've attempted this particular type of 'trickery', Octavian. It was always quite safe."

"Come then. The fountain of Bacchus should be good enough." She rose imperiously, doing her best to ignore Octavian immediately plastering himself to her side in an attempt to be quieter.

"Reyna, you CANNOT be such a fool as to trust them. Would you put the whole legion at risk for these graecas scum?" 

Turning her cold gaze onto the augur, she delighted in the momentary flinch it drew. "How would you suggest we fight against the Giants then, Octavian? The last battle against Polybotes was won because of Percy and Nico, both of whom are Greek. The legion needs to survive and for that we need allies. Besides, prophecies are immutable, you saw so yourself."

"We can call on the banished legionnaires, I myself-"

"Don't you dare." Reyna cut in, cold fury darkening her gaze further. "They are banished for a reason, Octavian. Speak once more of such a foul suggestion and I'll make sure you join them."

Unaware of the two Romans discussion, Hazel had grabbed a drachma and called for Nico through the rainbow. The rainbow flickered once, twice and a third time before a sudden silence drew Reyna's attention to the fountain. 

"What's happening?" She asked. 

"I'm not sure." Percy said, furrow deepening in his forehead. "Lemme try." He tossed a second drachma into the rainbow. "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Show Nico di Angelo in the... Underworld?"

There was a sudden crack and suddenly the garden was filled with _screaming_. Terrified, heart wrenching screams tinged with hysteria. They went on and on until Reyna was sure their voice was going to shatter. 

"Shut it off! Cut the connection!" Annabeth yelped in fear and Percy sliced a hand through the rainbow, breaking the connection. But his hand slid through the rainbow, doing nothing but pushing it slightly before it began to swell, rising above their heads like an actual rainbow. The screams did not cease but they were breaking off into whimpers, bitten off cries of pain and moans. 

Through the sounds of anguish, repeating refrain arose, becoming audible with every chant.

_"Wisdom's daughter walks alone.  
The Mark of Athena burns through Rome.  
Twins snuff out the angel's breath,  
Who holds the key to endless death.  
Giant's bane stands gold and pale,  
Won through pain from a woven jail."_

And then, all at once, the connection _shattered_ , leaving complete silence behind.

"What in the name of Hades was that?" Jason said, sounding shaken. "Where on earth is Nico? Was that a prophecy?"

"Annabeth?" Percy placed his hand comfortingly on his girlfriend's shoulder. "D'you have any idea?"

Annabeth was beyond pale, and very nearly shaking. "The... the Mark..." She took a breath. "It was a prophecy, that much is certain. But we will have to study it pro-properly to understand exactly what it means."

"Annabeth's right." Frank replied. "And it gives us a location to begin our quest. Rome."

"If there is anything described as a Giant's Bane, I'm all for going to find it." Piper agreed. "It seems to fit along with the Great Prophecy as well, if foes imply Greek and Romans, traditional enemies fighting together. If Nico is in Rome, then maybe the Doors are there too and the moment we made a connection, the prophecy was sounded because all the key players could hear it?"

"Are you insane?" Octavian's shrill voice cut through the discussion. "To cross the Mare Nostrum, do you have no shame? You'll be declared traitors!"

"Mary who?" Percy said cluelessly. 

"The Mediterranean sea." Annabeth explained. "It's off limits to Roman demigods due to the high concentration of monsters."

"So you're saying that we should abandon our one lead because it was too scary for some dead Roman dude centuries ago?" Percy replied incredulously.

"It's a law!" Octavian shrieked. "You come here and spit on tradition, you worthless-"

"During times of war, action is needed!" Percy spat. "Or do you regularly get prophecies yelled at you to the background music of screams! This is not a typical situation."

Octavian flushed red at the chastisement but thankfully didn't reply. Reyna sighed in relief. "As loathe as I am to go against tradition, Percy is right. And due to the unsavory conditions we find ourselves in, I'll have to authorise the travel through the Mare Nostrum." She turned to the four Roman demigods. "Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Perseus Jackson and Jason Grace, by order of the Praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, I give you permission to travel to the forbidden lands through the duration of our war with the Giants and Gaia."

"Thank you Praetor." Jason intoned formally as Frank nodded solemnly and pinched Percy until he acknowledged it as well. Hazel on the other hand was white faced and trembling, seemingly ignoring what Reyna had said.

"That doesn't help us find where Nico is. Or why the prophecy was given when we tried to contact him." Piper said thoughtfully.

"The connection was right, so he's in the... Underworld? But, I don't think I've even heard the Fields of Punishment sound so tortured." Percy shuddered. 

"The prophecy mentioned an angel. Could that refer to his surname, di Angelo?" Frank offered, blushing slightly when everyone's attention turned to him. 

"But... those lines..." Hazel managed to get out. "Twins snuff out the an-angel's b-b-breath. He could have been captured by the Giants and k-k-k-" She couldn't get the word out but it was understood as the mood dipped.

"Did...did no one else realise...?" Leo said softly. His clothes were smouldering and there was blood dripping from where he had dug his nails into his palm. Reyna wondered why he had been so silent through the discussion. "Those screams... They- They were Nico's."

* * *


	8. An Ordeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On and on he trudged, one foot shakily following the other. It seemed to go on forever, a Sisyphean task that he was cursed to complete. Just one more, he whispered as he fell for the first time. Just one more step. Through the miasma of negative thoughts, the single ray of light shone with every whispered encouragement. 
> 
> Just one more.
> 
> Just one more.
> 
> Just... one more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> I wasn't supposed to write this cuz I'm supposed to be studying but I didn't want to leave it on a cliffhanger so here you go. Please leave a comment, even if I don't reply to them, I'm still reading and this chapter wouldn't have been written so soon if not for all the people who commented asking for an update. Looking forward to hear about how y'all
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaapoon

Nico didn't remember falling.

He had heard somewhere that a bronze anvil falling from Olympus would fall nine days before it reached the earth and another nine days to fall from earth to Tartarus. He didn't know if that was true but both the times he had fallen, his only memory was of landing, never falling.

It was excruciating.

The ground was not entirely solid; he ignored the implications of why that was; but at the speed he was falling, even the softer landing didn't help. He bit back a scream as he felt the bones of his ankles and lower legs break with the force. He must have blacked out for a few seconds because the next thing he knew he was lying, crumpled upon what could only be the floor of Tartarus.

If not for the slight control he had over the obsidian gravel, Nico was certain he would have been a ghostly pancake. Tears welled up and overflowed as he struggled to maneuver broken limbs into the backpack that held his medical supplies. He managed to tip a piece of ambrosia into his mouth and nearly collapsed at the momentary relief it afforded. Broken bones were difficult to heal, even with godly food, though he hoped that his relatively healthy state prior to the injuries would help speed it up.

The last time, he had been captured as he was, before he could even take a step into the Pit. He had lain groaning at the entrance to the Pit, half mad with the pain of his injuries stitching themselves together with the bare minimum of ambrosia until the Giants came for him. The only interaction he had managed was with Akhlys, the Goddess of Misery and he didn't particularly want a replay of that. Besides, he needed to collect as much information as he could to prepare for the next time. 

Nico didn't dare look around. He was holding onto his sanity by a thread and he knew that the bloody abyss around him would snap it faster than he could say 'tartarus'. He simply shut his eyes, and tried not to choke on the burning air. His pain tolerance had always been ridiculously high but even this was pushing it, as he tried to breathe through the agony of poisonous atmosphere taking root in his lungs. 

Eventually though, exhaustion won over the torment and he fell into unconsciousness punctuated by pain, pain and more pain. He had vague flashes of crying out in agony but without the strength to stay awake for longer, they were only impressions of torture.

When he finally managed to move gingerly without lightning shooting through his body, he had swallowed enough godly food that he could see the faintest wisps of smoke arising from his body, a sure sign that he should not try anymore. The good news however was that he could finally move. Slowly and with about as much grace as a newborn faun with broken legs, he managed to move enough that he could begin to take stock of his situation. 

He had plenty of godly food and enough bandages to splint his leg though a quick look showed that he didn't need it as long as he managed to find the Phlegethon. Time was odd in Tartarus, he must have been unconscious long enough to heal it sufficiently. His sword was still strapped to his side, the Stygian Iron seemingly stronger in the darkness of the the Pit. 

It was a pity that at the moment, the most use he would get out of it was as a crutch. His pale skin was already blistering in the dry heat and his lungs were burning with every breath he took. He groaned pathetically as he hobbled slowly across the desolate ground. 

The Phlegethon, the River of Fire and paradoxically the River of Healing was one of the largest rivers in Tartarus and given that it was a flowing mass of flames, Nico hoped he wouldn't have to travel too far to find it. 

For a while, the only sound was the slow drag of footsteps, faltering every so often as they were pushed well beyond their capacities. There was nothing to see for miles on end and Nico was beginning to feel the weight of his actions burden him further. Beyond the physical torment, the loneliness, the hopelessness of the situation was weighing heavily on the young demigod. 

Most of the monsters that they faced had been beaten by their predecessors. There was always a way out, a weakness to exploit, something to give them an edge, but in the deepest darkest pit of Hell there was nothing. No map, no plan, no chink in the immortal primordial being's figurative armour. Nico's heart thrummed a steady beat, pulse pounding through his wounds and pushing him forward but he knew that as much as he moved forward, his goal was still so far out of sight. 

What was there to push forward for? Why was he struggling so endlessly? Why did he even think he could do this? Annabeth and Percy were together. They had spearheaded the Titan's War. If they hadn't survived, what chance did he have? 

On and on he trudged, one foot shakily following the other. It seemed to go on forever, a Sisyphean task that he was cursed to complete. Just one more, he whispered as he fell for the first time. Just one more step. Through the miasma of negative thoughts, the single ray of light shone with every whispered encouragement. 

Just one more.

Just one more.

Just... one more.

He collapsed on the banks of a fiery river. He didn't think he had ever seen a more beautiful sight. Even the though of the pain he would have to suffer through to avail of the healing was not enough to dampen the rush of relief. He dragged himself to the scarlet and gold liquid and cupped a handful of burning flames. Ignoring the horrifying lack of sensation, he poured it down his throat, convulsing at the taste, the temperature and the numbing of his aching limbs. 

He lay there for several minutes, occasionally drinking more fire as he stared blankly at the void above him. It was said that Tartarus had no sky, being that it was the inverse of Olympus and from what Nico could make out, that was true. Beyond the blood red clouds and greyish atmosphere there was only blackness as far as Nico strained his eyes. 

Stars had always been a constant, no matter how far Nico travelled. Be it China or Russia, India or Mexico, as long as there was a night sky there were stars and their complete... absence was jarring. It truly reinforced his complete solitude. The monsters, the Titans, the Giants, they all faded from his mind as he was forced to acknowledge just how alone he was.

He would never be able to explain it to anyone. How could you describe Tartarus? It was all-encompassing, everything and nothing at the same time, a world so far separated from reality that it hurt to imagine, let alone survive. How can an ant comprehend the majesty of a mountain when a man itself is so far removed from it? How can a frog dream of a world beyond its well when it has never seen it? How can an insignificant demigod describe a void so vast when the majesty of Olympus was already so overwhelming?

There were tears dripping down his cheeks but he couldn't bring himself to wipe them, too overwhelmed to even look away from the abyss above him. Unbidden, a quote he had never understood flitted through his thoughts- "If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you." 

The grave warning of the lines were the only reason he managed to look away from the sight, breath rattling in his chest as he forced himself to distract himself. This was what drove demigods mad. He couldn't afford to think about the inevitability of his actions. His mind cast about frantically for an alternate topic. Leo would probably use some inane device to test the legality of the unending nature of the Pit. Percy probably wouldn't even look up until he was knocked onto his back. Will would be far more worried about his numerous poorly healed injuries to even think about the height of Tartarus. Hazel would have been practical enough to ignore it. 

He breathed deeply, quieting the panic in his chest at the close call and tried to focus on his plans. The silence was getting to him, he decided uneasily. 

"Find some monsters." He said loudly hoping the sound of his voice would be enough to chase away the shadows of mania clinging to his mind. "Goad them into talking. Fight them if needed. Find a way to the heart of Tartarus where the Doors of Death are located. It doesn't matter if you are caught, you are meant to be bait anyway. There's no risk of you failing." 

He could walk without much difficulties now and he forced himself to begin his journey again. This time he would be following the river, it should eventually drain into Tartarus's heart and hopefully the Doors. He let the playful dancing of the firewater relax him somewhat, even cracking a slight smile at the babbling brook it seemed to emulate. 

"When I get out of here, I'll get the Mythomagic expansion pack." He decided aloud. "The Africanus Extreme, the Asian Superia and the Amazonian Fantasia." The lighthearted thinking distracted him enough that he barely noticed as the gravel beneath his feet gave way to a dusty path that emulated skin far more than he was comfortable with. "Even without the Manticore, I bet Zeus would be able to defeat Medusa and still have enough to handle Atlas after that. Hades would struggle against Iapetes but then again going up against one of the Titans of the Cardinal Directions without a boost would be suicidal." 

"Well now, that would be a pity, wouldn't it?"

Nico spun around so fast, he nearly unbalanced, sword sliding smoothly out of it's hilt. "Show yourself!" He called.

A slightly darker patch of shadow detached itself from the general gloom of the Pit and coalesced into a figure. A woman. She looked like a victim of famine, with sunken eyes, stringy grey hair that was matted to her head, and large amounts of dust covering her thin body. Snot dripped from her nose and large gashes oozed blood, the unholy mixture of fluids a disgusting sight as it soiled her tattered clothes.

"Akhlys." Nico said, grip tightening on the sword. "What do you want from me?"

Her mouth opened wide, a parody of a wail stuck in her throat as she croaked out her words. "Your misery! Ahhhh!" She gasped for breath. Clawed nails scrabbled at her cheeks reopening the wounds and Nico winced in sympathy. "So much sorrow, so much pain, so much _agony_! It's intoxicating, half-blood!" 

"I asked you what you wanted." Nico repeated, trying not to show how disturbed he was by her wailing. She had appeared in his last timeline as well, crying over him as he lay injured by the entrance. She had, surprisingly enough, left him alone, deeming his misery so thick she could hardly add to it. He wondered how different it was now that he knew the trauma of loss so very intimately.

"Give it to me!" She begged, half crazed. "Surrender it to me, let me taste it! Let me savour it!"

Well this was new, Nico thought. 

"How does it help me?" He said instead. "How do I even do that? Besides, I don't even know if that will hurt me to do."

"You are broken." She said instead. "Shattered. Destroyed. You will never be whole again, forever a shard of what you could be. No matter how far you go in this fool's errand, you cannot heal yourself."

Nico gritted his teeth. "I know." He said grimly. "This 'fool's errand' as you call it is not for me. As long as my friends are whole, what does it matter if I break?"

Akhlys flinched violently at his words, rocking back and forth as if buffeted by a strong wind. "Give me your misery." She repeated, extending a trembling hand forward. "It will lighten the burden on your own heart, demigod. Mortals aren't built to suffer so."

"My suffering is what shapes me." Nico said defensively. "If you take the misery, I will have no reason to struggle further. Without the trauma of failure, I won't know the consequences of not succeeding. If I don't have the scars of my sufferences then I lose the map of myself."

"Is that your answer then?" Akhlys said, saliva dripping from her torn mouth. "What if I told you that I could take your misery without touching the drive beneath it?"

" _Swear it._ " Nico's voice broke. "Swear it in the River Styx."

Her eyes glimmered within their sockets. "I swear on the River Styx that if you manage to pass my siblings' test, I will take your misery, with no negative impacts to yourself." Her mouth quirked in what might have been a smile. "If you succeed, I'll even give you the means to hide from Tartarus until you reach the Doors of Death."

Nico's breath caught in his throat as the distant rumble of thunder solidified the vow. "What's the catch?" He asked hoarsely. "You aren't the kind of person to do things out of the goodness of your heart."

"You are nearly as steeped in misery as _I_ am, demigod. If you succeed, I get a taste of your exquisite torment and if you fail, I will get to consume your soul, most likely sating me for eternity." She smacked her lips audibly and Nico cringed. "Of course if I consume your soul, you will be blocked forever from the Aether, you will never be able to cross over from Tartarus into the mortal and immortal worlds."

Nico swallowed. "Who are your siblings?"

"The twins, Oizys and Momus."

"I- I don't know them. I've never heard of those gods." 

"I rather thought that might be the case." Akhlys said lightly. "Let me sweeten the deal. If you succeed, I'll also direct you to Damasen, Giant foe of the War God Ares. He's the closest you will get to a genuinely good guide in this place and almost certainly your best chance of escaping. If you manage to convince him to help you, of course." She stopped. "Oh, I swear that all that I have said is true. On the River Styx."

Thunder boomed.

Nico stared indecisively. A ridiculously high stakes game, but the reward was well worth the risk. As much as he hated the thought, he couldn't afford to lose it.

"I accept." He said with a fair bit of reluctance. "What is the test?"

An unnervingly large grin spread across her face. " _Marvellous_." Without a warning she leapt at him, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the oily shadows. It was nothing like his own shadow travelling, the medium left a sticky residue that made him shiver and when they emerged out of the darkness, he felt nauseous. 

They were in a wide hallway, darker than before. Skeletal trees shivered as the winds shook them for leaves they had long since given up and the ground was colder than Nico had ever felt. Directly in front of him was a pool. It was perfectly round in shape, edged with crumbling stone and crimson red in colour. It looked like a pond of blood and the colour sent uneasy shivers down Nico's spine.

"This is the pool of Nyx, dedicated to our mother." Akhlys said feverishly. Her tone showed an obeisance bordering on creepy. "You may ask for one wish that will be granted. You may attempt to select a wish thrice, each time asking for something you don't possess. If you ask for the wish that allows you to defeat my siblings you may pass. If you do not, I will feast on your soul."

"What happens if I get one wrong?" Nico asked. "The twins, Oi- Oizys? And Momos?

"Momus!" She hissed. "Beings of darkness and if I'm not horrifyingly mistaken, the brethren of mine you are closest to."

"What!" Nico yelped. "I don't even know them! I've never heard their names!"

Akhlys cackled. "Oh you know their names well." The blood pool rippled, a slight movement below the water drawing Nico's attention. "You have felt their presence. You have _suffered_ with their presence."

She clicked her tongue sharply. "Enough dawdling! Make a wish, Child of the Gods!"

Nico gulped. He knew that whatever he asked, without knowing the parameters of the test, without knowing the gods he needed to appease, he wouldn't be able to succeed. Therefore his first question would have to be a sacrifice, one that was genuine enough that he truly desired it but also framed in a way that would allow him to guess the domains these Gods presided over.

Most of Nyx's children were among the spirits that were antagonistic to Hope. Perhaps if he showed his hope, it would be enough to defeat them?

"I wish for the ability to change this timeline." He asked quietly, watching Akhlys's face for a clue. 

Instead of replying, she threw her head back in a howl of mirth that made Nico hide a sly smile himself. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Foolish boy! I told you, you must ask for that which you do not possess. You already have the ability to change this timeline. What good will a God of Censure do for that?"

Nico pounced on the last sentence with glee. "A God of Censure, is it?" He drawled. "Since I asked for what I already possess, that means I get three more chances still, doesn't it?" He pointed out.

Akhlys's wild laughter quietened immediately and her mouth twisted in derision. "Your trickery will not help you any further." She spat. "Foul creature. Let's see how your silver tongue fares in a true battle of words. Ask for your three wishes. I promise you," she smirked at him cruelly, "When you fail, I will feast."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be getting to the others in the next chapter itself. I just wanted to have Nico's trip through Tartarus be slightly different from Canon. I tried to make it seem like Nico was losing himself in the Pit, cuz he cannonically states that he almost went insane and I wanted to show a bit of that.
> 
> Percabeth were together plus they didn't see Tartarus as it was truly until the end while Nico saw it that way all the time. That's the main reason why Nico is gonna find it harder to keep himself sane as compared to canon Percabeth.


	9. A Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hadn't realised as he made the deal with Akhlys but the Gods he would have to face would be twins. 
> 
> Twins like the prophecy specified. 
> 
> Which meant that this could very much be the alternate interpretation of 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath' except the snuffing out would be permanent and not a death trance like he had been counting on. Worst of all, he would truly hold the key to 'endless death' if he was trapped in Tartarus for eternity. His breath quickened at the realisation that the situation was nearly perfect for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Here's a new chapter for you lot! Leave a comment and kudos if you liked it! Thanks for reading and I hope you
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Nico felt like one of those contestants on the game shows with pounding drums and audiences waiting with bated breath for his answer. The stifling silence and Akhlys's creepy gaze only added to the experience and he suddenly felt rather apologetic for all the scoffing he had done at their nervousness.

Perhaps if he survived he'd suggest a new idea to a Haphaestus TV- 'Do You Want To Become a Misery Goddess's Dinner?' 

Well, the title might need a bit of work.

He hadn't realised as he made the deal with Akhlys but the Gods he would have to face would be twins. Twins like the prophecy specified. 

Which meant that this could very well be the alternate interpretation of 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath' except the snuffing out would be permanent and not a death trance like he had been counting on. Worst of all, he would truly hold the key to 'endless death' if he was trapped in Tartarus for eternity. His breath quickened at the realisation that the situation was nearly perfect for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

A bead of sweat trickled down his back and he shivered.

"I wish," he began, choosing his words carefully, knowing that it could prove important, "for guidance on fixing my mistakes by closing the Doors of Death."

The wish wasn't vague so hopefully that would work in his favour. A God of Censure would be appeased by working to fix his mistakes, perhaps that would be enough to sate them.

He held his breath.

The blood pool remained eerily silent for a very long second before _exploding_ into activity. Waves pushed each other around as the crimson liquid frothed and bubbled furiously. A swirling vortex apeared, spinning violently as the God showed himself.

He wasn't very tall and... surprisingly normal looking, compared to his sister's ghoulish appearance. He was well built with only a loincloth to protect his modesty and a jet black mask covering his face. As Nico watched, he gently pushed the mask to the side leaving his face bare and a mocking expression leveled at the demigod.

"Pathetic." He snorted with derision. "Not even the slightest ounce of sense or intelligence. Akhlys, you fool, is this waste of breath truly the one you bring for us to test?"

Nico wondered if he ought to bow or show respect in any way. After spending time with Hera, he had learnt to hold his tongue when necessary and the importance of respect, especially for powerful immortal beings that could and would smash him like an ant. This God however seemed only affronted by the wrong answer he had been given and not the respect he should have received.

"You will certainly fail in your quest, however many times you attempt it, foolish demigod. Without knowledge, allies or strength, you have no chance of success." Momus continued. He rose above the pool and gently landed beside Akhlys and Nico. Up close, he looked surprisingly similar to his sister and Nico couldn't hide his shock.

"You can punish his mistake, if you so desire, brother." Akhlys said, with a wave of her hand. "Do keep him alive to try again though."

"Oh? As he is now, he will never be able to answer correctly." 

"That's not true." Nico said quietly. "You don't know what I could think of."

"I advised Zeus, you idiotic mortal!" Momus said confidently. "I censured him before every mistake but as long as he refused to listen to my advice, he too continued to fail. Poseidon, Athena, Prometheus, they all sought my advice and then discarded it. If you do the same, you will fall as far as they did."

"The man, the house and the bull." Nico realised. "You were the judge who presided over the competition."

"Indeed I did. All three of them were deficient and still they would not take my advice and instead cast me from Olympus. Foolish."

"Lord Momus, God of Censure, Blame, Satire and Mockery." Nico said. 

He had read the story with Bianca in Aesop's Fables. Zeus, Athena and Poseidon had created a man, a house and a bull respectively and when called upon to judge the best creation, Momus had insulted all of them. The man, he had claimed should have his heart on the outside so people could know whether he was truly good. The house, in his opinion, should have had wheels so that it could be moved away from bad neighbours and the bull should have been made with eyes on its horns so that it could see what it was goring. Zeus had been so angry at the criticism that he had thrown Momus from Olympus. At that time, the moral had been to judge kindly or not at all but Nico couldn't help but agree with the judgement given. 

"My twin sister is Lady Oizys, Goddess of Anxiety, Grief and Depression." 

Nico flinched.

"Indeed. But your fear will not save you from censure." Momus said with a slight huff. "When you fail a second time, my twin will discipline you and the last failure will be... well, your last I suppose."

"Wai-" Nico barely opened his mouth before his vision blurred. He blinked and he was back in Camp Half-blood, watching as Gaia rose from the Earth, grass and mud hanging from her figure. She stood taller than even the Athena Parthenos, towering over them all and exuding an aura that froze the demigods in their steps. She flicked a single finger and Coach Hedge's battlecry was cut short as he dissolved into dust. 

His wife, Mellie the cloud nymph screamed, but not for long.

Two mutilated corpses were hanging from Thalia'a tree, in place of the Golden Fleece, dulled sea green eyes and limp blonde hair the only identifying features visible through the blood.

Reyna's purple cape was shredded and her decapitated head lay a few feet from her battered body. 

Octavian's screams sounded in his ears as the augur was ripped apart by Hellhounds.

Will's lifeless face was haggard and emaciated. Dried tear tracks were visible and his expression was frozen into one of agony. 

Hazel's spatha lay shattered at his feet, its owner nowhere to be seen. 

A hammer lay pathetically beside a bloodstained quiver and the dagger, Katopteris.

Marie di Angelo's dark eyes were empty as they gazed at him sightlessly.

A single Hades Mythomagic figurine lay in a junkyard of godly treasures.

Images of the Titan's War, Daedalus, Minos, Bianca, all his worst mistakes sped through his mind, remaining only long enough for the self-recrimination to set in. 

He didn't realise he had collapsed to his knees, eyes squeezed shut and palms pressed tightly to his ears as though it would keep the slideshow of his failures from eating at him. He knew he should have done better. He knew he should have done more. He knew he should have saved them. He... didn't know what Momus wanted from him.

_My fault. All my fault. Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It all my fault._

It felt like a panic attack and he didn't know if Minus had stopped the scenes or his mind just couldn't take it anymore but he was gasping for breath, tears pricking at his eyes, when he finally managed to recognise his surroundings again.

"What- what was the purpose of that?" He demanded hoarsely, not even looking at his tormentor. 

"Censure." The God replied. "You blame yourself for all that. I simply showed you the scenes associated with blame to remind you."

Nico bit back the curse he wanted to hurl at the smug bastard. 

"Since you survived, I suppose you may as well try again." He continued casually and Nico's trembling hands balled into fists.

Still, he forced himself to think. A battle of words, hadn't Akhlys said? He needed a wish that would allow him to defeat Censure and Depression. So, something that made him happy. Something that he didn't possess and something the Gods could actually grant. So not direct success. His brow furrowed. Perhaps...

"I wish for the _knowledge_ of a timeline in which I succeed." He surreptitiously crossed his fingers.

Once more, the blood pool swirled with divine power, bubbling over as it spat out a Goddess from its depths. She might have been beautiful if not for the black tears dripping down snowy cheeks. She was dressed conservatively, a navy high waisted dress covering her from neck to ankle. Her dark hair was wreathed in a laurel wreath and her expression was fixed into one of intense sorrow. She _radiated_ pain. Even watching from a distance, Nico felt tears gather at his lashes and nearly broke into tears.

"You are incorrect, child." Oizys said. Her words may have been gentle but her tone radiated sadism. "Do you truly believe that you would be happy with memories of a world you succeeded in? Especially when you are likely to fail several times in this one? You would only feel greater sorrow at your inevitable failure." 

"That's the second failure, demigod." Akhlys said in a tone that was downright delighted. "If my dear sister doesn't kill you for your mistake, you have only one more try left!"

"Please." Nico whispered, fear overriding the pride. "Please don't do this." If it was anything like her twin's punishment he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Failure is met by sorrow. Repeated failure is met with anguish. Still further failure is met with death. That is how the world works. Prepare yourself." With those ominous words, the Goddess's lips spread into a grotesque mockery of a smile and...

Nico. Couldn't. Breathe.

He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything but _pain_. It wasn't physical, not even close to touching his skin, but it felt like it was _tearing his mind apart_. 

His throat burned as he screamed and screamed and screamed in agony. When his voice wasn't enough to express the torment and the burning of his vocal cords was the only thing reminding him that he was still alive. It felt like death, like the months he had spent dying and the moment he had actually died, at the same time. He had never wanted to just give up and give in so much in both his lifetime. It felt like every scar, unknown to his younger, whole body was reopening but worse, because the lack of scars meant that he wasn't even sure if it had happened. 

It felt like sorrow, like anguish, like sadness but _so much more_ than the small amount of emotion conveyed with those words. And worst of all?

_It felt familiar._

You know them well, Akhlys had said. You have suffered in their presence. 

Depression and self-blame all wrapped up nicely in a little package of survivor's guilt. Had that not been his mindset while he watched the world go to schist with Lady Hera? How often had he considered just ending the agony? He probably would have gone ahead with it as well, if he hadn't known that death wouldn't help him. 

Momus and Oizys stared at him impassively as he lay at their feet, pathetic and only half conscious. They were the villains he had fought his entire life and hadn't ever been able to defeat. What chance did he have now?

His heart ached for Will's comforting embrace. The Will of his own timeline, who had been the only one to ever get close to him after he chose to decathect upon losing Hazel. It had been the medic who had talked him through his nightmares, calmed him from his panic attacks and helped him through the depressive episodes. He couldn't do it without him.

"It's not your fault." His words echoed through Nico's mind, reminiscent of the last time they had spoken before the final battle. "Come on Nico, breathe." 

He hadn't been able to even gasp out a negative before the Son of Apollo was rubbing his back gently as he wept for the sister he had barely known to love. "It is not your fault. You couldn't have done anything else. It is not your fault. Hazel wasn't your fault, Percy wasn't your fault."

It had calmed him down but he had never accepted Will's words. The moment he could speak again, he was refuting Will's comfort with a croaky, "It was my fault, you don't have to be like that. I know and I accept it. I was the one who sent them to the House of Hades, after all."

"Oh, Nico." Will had said, so so sadly and Nico had winced at the tone. "I wish you could see yourself as worthy. I really do. You don't deserve to feel like this. You don't deserve to see yourself as the worst version."

Nico had brushed it off then but now he could only let the words soothe the raw nerves that the twin Gods had exposed. 

"Try again!" Akhlys hissed as he wept. "Try and fail, demigod. Try!"

"Try for the last time. When you fail, you will know what you deserve to receive." Momus said as his lips curled into a smirk.

Oizys's expression did not change. "You can try but you will certainly fail. Your punishment is only what you deserve." 

_"You don't deserve it."_ The Will in his mind said soothingly. _"You don't deserve to feel this way."_

Nico opened his mouth in shock as the gravity of his words registered. Would it be enough? Hadn't Momus said that he needed allies? Will... Will was the one person he would have trusted over all others.

"I wish..." Nico looked away from the deities in shame. Would it take away from the selfishness of the wish if it was someone else's? "I wish I could see myself as... worthy." He whispered.

He closed his eyes and waited for the pain of death to take him.

Instead of pain, he felt the oppressive air recede. Bewildered and barely hopeful, he opened his eyes to see the three Gods eyeing him with the slightest bit of admiration. 

"Granted." The twins recited together.

"We'll be watching your progress, demigod." Momus said. "It is not often that my criticism is constructive."

"Perhaps this wish will truly allow you to break from our domains, child." Oizys said thoughtfully. "Don't squander it."

The shadows darkened as the two were immediately whisked away into nothingness, leaving only Akhlys and Nico behind. 

"A pity, Half-blood. Your soul would have been delicious." She said mournfully. "I'll have to settle for your misery then."

"You- you promised me a way to hide from Tartarus." Nico reminded her. "And passage to Damasen."

"The Death Mist." Akhlys clarified. "Shall-"

"Not now." Nico interrupted quickly. "I will return. Soon. I will need it then."

"A demigod planning to _return_ to the Pit of Eternal Damnation? Now I have truly seen it all." She looked shocked at his words. "Very well then, boy. When you return, I will complete my oath." She eyed him curiously. "I have been told that the greatest heroes are built on the worst tragedies. I do wonder what the world will make of you."

Nico scrambled to get onto his knees; standing seemed too much of an ordeal, and ducked his head in respect. "Thank you."

She didn't acknowledge his gratitude but simply returned him to the banks of the Phlegethon. "Return with darker wings, Child of Death. Perhaps I'll even learn your name then." With those parting words, she slipped into the shadows.

Unfortunately for the demigod, her disappearance heralded more unwelcome visitors. Twin, ugly faces with scaly legs and coins braided into their hair appeared above him and a triumphant smile spread across their faces.

"I think we found our bait, Otis." The first one said and the replying smile was just as grotesque. 

"I agree, brother."

Nico barely managed to palm a pomegranate from his bag before they were upon him, grasping his body roughly and dragging him away. He couldn't even struggle before his eyes were drooping in exhaustion as he succumbed to his body's need for rest.

* * *

His dream saw him on board the Argo II's dining room.

Like in the last timeline, the walls showed images of Camp Half-blood and Nico had to wonder if it didn't seem the slightest bit biased against the demigods from the Roman Camp.

The seven were seated around the table, Annabeth at the head and Jason and Percy on either side. Nico winced at the tension in the air as they eyed each other suspiciously.

"Stop with the macho man competition." Leo snapped, surprising Nico. "We don't have time for quarrels and we don't need a quest leader either way. We need to focus."

"Leo's right." Annabeth sighed. "According to Nemesis, we have six days before Nico is beyond our help and Rome is destroyed."

"Your quest for the Athena Parthenos is also in Rome." Piper said and Nico caught Annabeth's minute flinch.

"Yeah. Plenty to do once we get there. We need to pool information and make plans. We'll also probably have to divide the quests in Rome into smaller groups, both to protect against monster attacks and to get the work done." She said. 

"I call dibs on finding Nico." Leo said immediately.

"Leo-" Percy began and Leo shot him a deadly glare.

"He's one of my closest friends. I'm not letting him be tortured by twin lizard men." 

Nico felt something warm in his chest. The last time they must have thought him a traitor for keeping the camps separate. He didn't know what to make of them rushing to save him in this timeline but it brought a blush to his cheeks.

"I'm coming too." Hazel said firmly. "He's my brother and he saved me. It's my turn to help him out."

"I'll go to." Percy volunteered and Nico's jaw dropped. 

"Percy?" Frank said in surprise. Nico had no doubt that he would have volunteered just to support Hazelb had Percy not taken the last spot. 

"He's- he's like the little brother I never had." The Son of Poseidon said solemnly. "I'm not letting him die."

"It would probably be better if Jason and Percy didn't go on too many quests together." Piper said thoughtfully. "You seem to rile each other up pretty easily."

Both boys blushed hotly.

"Right." Annabeth said. "That's the teams decided then. Leo, how long to Rome?"

"We should, bar any difficulties, make it there in four and a bit days." Leo replied. "But given our track record, I'd say closer to five. That leaves us with just one day to complete the quests." He looked frustrated. "I've got a few ideas to reduce that time but we'll see how that works out."

"That's that then." Annabeth concluded. "I suppose all we can do now is wait."

From his spot by the wall, Nico sighed in relief. It looked like his hints had prevented the attack on Camp Jupiter and they were still heading for Rome. The image faded out and Nico found himself in the not-so-welcome prison he had been held in the last timeline. 

Like before, the jar was dark and musty. He could already feel himself getting light headed from the lack of oxygen. The only light was from the dim glow of his sword which they had helpfully placed beside him along with his backpack. 

Nico breathed shallowly as he cradled the pomegranate in his hand. He had six seeds, just as Annabeth had said in his dream. Six seeds for six days, after which, hopefully, he would be saved. 

A fervent prayer to Persephone and the first was popped into his mouth. The lethargy of the Death Trance washed over him like a wave and Nico immediately sagged against the wall.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, yes Nico's screams in chapter 7 were from Oizys's punishment.


	10. A Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hand curled around his bicep, steadying and so warm that Nico curled into the comforting heat unconsciously. The hands were supporting him, helping him stand and all but carrying him when his legs refused to do their job. He tried to thank the owner of the hands but his mouth was as uncooperative as his eyes and anything he said was a garbled mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> I hope you like the chapter! I listened to Soldatino (Nico's Lullaby) by Paola Bennet on repeat while editing this chapter. If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it! Leave a kudos and a comment if you did they're very motivating! Thanks for reading and don't forget to
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Despite its name, the Death Trance wasn't anything like dying, or even death for that matter. Nor was it liking a coma or sleeping. In fact, if Nico, who had experienced all of the above, would have to describe it, he would liken it to sleep paralysis most of all. 

It felt rather like he was paralysed, unable to breathe though his heartbeat pounded in his ears like a war drum. It left him vulnerable enough that he could see and feel all that was being done to him without being able to resist. 

Thankfully, the Giants weren't yet as cruel as they could be, simply locking him, sword and all into the jar. They didn't seem to care if he lived or died or perhaps they had assumed that he was hardier than he seemed. If Nico had not been the Son of Hades, with access to the pomegranate seeds, he would have died within the day.

Instead he spent the time trying to dreamwalk, desperate for news of the outside world. Unfortunately for him, a few seconds of contact with Clovis of the Hypnos cabin was all he could manage before his consciousness was dragged back forcefully to his prison. The next time he tried, Clovis had reached out as well, managing to eke out a 'safe?' before the connection snapped and he was left fuming behind shut, immovable eyes.

By the time he was down to his last seed, he was antsy, worried about the lack of demigod dreams and all but panicking at the thought that something had gone wrong. The only time he had had so much difficulty with dreams was after Morpheus had been killed by the Giants and that wasn't due to happen for at least a few more months.

So, it was with a rush of relief that he recognised the familiar sight of Camp Half-blood along with the slightly dazed feeling of dreaming. There were Romans gathering beside the bonfire's ashes and Chiron was leading Will, Drew Tanaka and Jack Mason from the Big House while Reyna, Octavian and an unknown Roman camper followed. 

"Romans!" Reyna called and there was immediate silence from the demigods in purple though the whispers of the Greeks took longer to die out. "We have entered an official alliance with the Greek demigod camp, Camp Half-blood. As the Oracles suggest that Gaia's revival will happen in this location, we will be remaining here till the Seven Chosen return from their quest. Any travels outside will have to be approved by a council consisting of three Greek and three Roman demigods. As of today, we are at war against Gaia and the Giants!"

A roar of approval sounded from the demigods, some of the Greeks joining in as well. Reyna's charisma was impossible to ignore, and her leadership was probably the best thing that had happened to Camp Jupiter.

Still, Nico's attention was drawn to Lou Ellen who was eyeing Kayla Knowles of the Apollo cabin consideringly. Kayla had an ugly expression of distaste and her face was contorted into a scowl. As he watched, she pulled a dart out of her pocket and unseen by everyone besides Lou Ellen, aimed it at Reyna. 

Nico rushed to warn the Praetor forgetting his inability to do so when no one reacted to his voice. Kayla's heritage was obvious as it flew true, the tip glistening with a fluid that could only be poisonous. However, just before it pierced Reyna's neck, Lou Ellen called out a spell and froze it inches from the Praetor. 

The clearing was silent for a long second before Octavian's banshee like screech rose above the others in fury.

"TREASON!" he shrieked. "Betrayal! No more than minutes into the alliance! What did I tell you?" 

There was pandemonium as the Roman legionnaires rushed to capture Kayla while the Apollo cabin tried to shield her. The girl in question just stood there, something dark in her expression and Nico felt a frisson of fear as he recognised the eidolon in her body. This was how the camps had been divided before. This was the reason why Gaia had managed to kill so many demigods despite being weak from her revival and Nico felt his heart sink as he realised that if there would be a battle between the two sides, it would be Camp Half-blood that would fall.

"Can you all shut up for one second and let the person who saved your damn Praetor talk!" Lou Ellen's voice rose, amplified by some kind of magic and the voices gradually died down.

"Speak." Reyna ordered. 

"There's a spirit in Kayla." Lou Ellen said calmly.

Octavian swelled up in righteous indignation. "Are you trying to-" 

"Octavian." Reyna interrupted. "She saved me. Let hee speak uninterrupted."

"As I was saying," Lou Ellen shot Octavian a dirty look, "I'm a Daughter of Hecate. We can sense disturbances in the Mist and that includes possession. Kayla has some form of malicious spirit in her right now and it caused her to throw that dart. You can ask your own campers if they're trained in Mist manipulation."

"Can you do anything?" Chiron asked.

"I can get rid of the spirit." The magician said. "But it can always possess someone else. As it is, I have trapped it in Kayla's body for the time being. The best would be to create amulets to fortify the barriers enough to prevent possession."

"Do it." Will said, holding Kayla protectively. "What can we do for her till then?"

"Take her to the Hecate cabin. We'll prepare for a ritual of cleansing."

He nodded stiffly and forced the uncooperative demigod to walk steadily. Behind him, Lou Ellen was already giving instructions to her siblings and the few Roman children of Hecate that had come. 

"Are you sure about this?" Octavian asked incredulously.

Reyna sighed. "You understand war, Octavian. The first thing the enemy tries to do is drive a wedge between allies. Why are you so insistent on letting Gaia succeed in that?"

"The Greeks are scum!" He insisted.

"Enough." Reyna said firmly. "They have been helpful allies and this alliance is beneficial to us. You will not ruin it, is that clear?" Her gaze bored into the augur and he was forced to look away first.

"Yes Preator." He muttered spitefully, much to Nico's annoyance. The augur had the potential to mess up a lot of things. He only hoped that Reyna managed to keep her authority.

The scene dissolved into nothingness and Nico was suddenly by the edge of Tartarus. Even intangible as he was, he could feel the gravity of the Pit dragging him forward. A deep, gravelly voice boomed through the cavern, the sound echoing furiously as Nico struggled to stand his ground.

"Come!" It demanded. "Come to me, Son of the Underworld! Let us see how you stand against me!" 

From the swirling mass of darkness, a figure arose, not unlike how Gaia had done in the previous timeline. He was enormous, but cloaked so thoroughly that Nico could not make out any discerning features. Wordless pleas accompanied his form and the shadows quivered in fear at the immense aura he possessed. Even Nico, who had learned to throw off the giants' auras found himself struggling against the figure who could only be...

"Tartarus." He whispered.

"Very good, Ghost King. Your tenacity does you credit but I will enjoy crushing it far more." The primordial growled. "Come down to my domain. I will show you just how insignificant you are."

Nico gritted his teeth. "You're hardly the first bad guy to threaten to eviscerate me. Death threats are just another Tuesday for me." Strangely enough, the villain monologue was so typical that he found himself settling into the role he needed to play, more easily. 

"You will be in MY domain." Tartarus hissed, and it sent shivers down Nico's spine. "Every drop of godly blood you bleed gives me strength, every time you draw that paltry toothpick of a sword I know exactly where you are! Wait and see, ant, I will crush you and your soul will dissolve in agony for eternity." 

The threat lingered in the air even as the scene disappeared and Nico's legs felt like jelly after the confrontation. He had to sit down and breathe for a few minutes as he tried to gather himself enough to even look at the new dream images around him.

It looked like a cabin, though not one he had ever been in. It was pretty plain, having simple white walls with only hooks to hold clothes. The only spots of colours were the flowerpots with bright yellow flowers and one that held reddish purple blossoms. There were bunk beds lined on either side, all but one of which were empty.

Feeling supremely embarrassed at creeping on someone as they slept, Nico walked forward until he realised just who was asleep. His cheeks flamed red as he caught sight of Will Solace's golden head creased in sleep and he immediately leapt backwards.

He was about to leave the cabin, that he now knew to be the Apollo Cabin, when a pained whisper stopped him. Almost unconsciously, Nico stretched out a hand to comfort the sleeping demigod.

"Father..." Will mumbled softly. "Where.. Delos?" His eyes scrunched up and he shifted uncomfortably. Nico recalled that most Apollo children had some sort of precognition, their dreams were almost certainly prophecies of some kind. "Athena Parthenos...Rome needs... Reyna." He twisted and turned like he was having a nightmare before gasping suddenly. With a cry, he jerked awake in a rush, blue eyes troubled. "Nico!"

The boy in question startled badly at his name. It sounded like Will had Seen Reyna returning the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-blood, maybe even Nico's own role in it, given the way he had writhed in the throes of a nightmare. Nico could think of plenty of nightmare material scenes in that particular quest.

He watched as Will rubbed his eyes in worry as he tried to parse out his dream. "Nico." He whispered. "What are...? Gods I hope you're okay." 

The Son of Hades felt something warm inside his heart at Will's expression of concern and an unconscious smile spread across his face. "I'm fine." He whispered even though he knew Will wouldn't hear him. He wasn't sure if it was a consequence of the wish Oizys and Momus had granted or just a natural response to Will and Leo's obvious worry for him, but the self-deprecating voice in the back of his kind was a lot quieter. "I'll be fine."

Perhaps it was his imagination but Will seemed almost comforted by his words, a soft smile spreading across his handsome face as his eyes lightened.

For the last time, the scene faded and a desperate voice called, "Nico!"

"Huh?" Surprisingly his mouth opened enough to be able to groan lightly. It had been so long since he had moved in his actual body that it felt far too heavy and cumbersome. He groaned again as he tried to force his eyes to open, almost choking on his tongue as he tried to speak. His limbs were heavy and without the pomegranate seed, he could feel the strain of hunger and thirst again. 

He struggled to raise himself on all fours and he already knew that despite the extended stay in Tartarus, he was in a far better condition than he had been in the last timeline. He could attribute it to the actual care he took to avoid injuries as well as the steady supply of godly food he had maintained between the pomegranate seeds. Will would be proud, he reckoned.

A hand curled around his bicep, steadying and so warm that Nico curled into the comforting heat unconsciously. The hands were supporting him, helping him stand and all but carrying him when his legs refused to do their job. He tried to thank the owner of the hands but his mouth was as uncooperative as his eyes and anything he said was a garbled mess.

His rescuer kept up a steady stream of platitudes, most of them muttered too low and fast for Nico to waste brainpower trying to decipher but he did manage to catch the tail end of a very creative Spanish swear. 

"Le-o?" Nico slurred. "S'that you?" 

"Yeah buddy." Leo said gently. "I got you."

"P'rcy?" He asked. He thought he heard the sound of a battle going on in the background though he wasn't sure, given that it was interspersed with what sounded like ballet music. "Hazel? R' they here?"

"Uh huh. All of us, 'cept Annabeth are here. Can you walk?" 

"I'll try." His legs were firming up and felt less like overcooked noodles and more like flesh and bone as he teetered on them. "What happened to Annabeth?" 

"She's got another quest. Don't worry, she'll be alright." Leo said and Nico remembered that the Athena Parthenos still needed to be found. "C'mon we gotta move."

He dragged Nico as sandbags fell from the sky and just as Nico managed to crack his eyes open, he was greeted by a magnificent shower of pink sparks and the truly grotesque visage of Otis dissolving into dust.

"Was that it?" Nico asked. He vaguely recalled something about Bacchus and the Colosseum though his memories post Tartarus had always been foggy. "Where's the other Giant?"

"How kind of you to worry about me!" The sarcastic tone of Ephialtes came from behind him. "I'm right here and stronger than ever. Without a God on your side, you might as well surrender, it'll be a prettier spectacle."

"Like hell we're surrendering." The familiar tone yelled. With an impressive throw that incapacitated the reforming Otis, Percy glared daggers at Ephialtes. 

"Who needs a God? We'll tear you apart ourselves!" Leo added from where he was supporting Nico.

"He's right!" Jason said standing beside Percy. "We'll just cut you into pieces like Saturn."

Behind them, the determined faces of Piper, Hazel and Frank were visible. They all seemed uninjured, though Piper was holding her shoulder oddly. "Your spectacle is ruined." She said sweetly. "It would be better to prepare for the next one, don't you think? Take some time off." Her every word was laced with power and Nico shuddered as he forced himself to ignore it.

Unfortunately, Ephialtes seemed just as unconcerned, his eyes flashing as he let the charmspeak command wash over him. "You can try all you want, but with the Gods abandoning you, I will enjoy myself."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then, isn't it?" A new voice sounded and Nico nearly unbalanced as he spun to observe the newcomer.

"Lord Bacchus." Jason said, barely hiding his relief.

"Jasper Gardner." Bacchus returned and Nico snorted at the familiar quirk. "Really, Ephialtes, you've gotten worse over the years and I honestly didn't think that was possible." He huffed lightly, nose in the air and brow furrowed in disgust. "Killing demigods, really? Boring, tacky, pathetic."

This time it was Piper hiding her giggle. The offended faces of the twin Giants were honestly hilarious and Bacchus's apparent seriousness was just as bad. "You could at least have the decency to leave leopards out of your sorry excuse of a party." The God continued, scratching the beasts that came to greet him.

"How dare you!" Ephialtes roared. "I will destroy you, Bacchus! You dare accuse me of not having taste?"

"How dare you?" Otis echoed.

"Then by all means prove it." Bacchus said spreading his arms invitingly. "Or perhaps you need a better ambience." He spun his thyrsus and Nico felt the divine power wrap itself around him and lift him, surprisingly gently as he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Despite the kindness of the God's power, the sudden movement was too much for his weakened body and he retched pitifully onto the ground he had been deposited on. It was a mark of just how malnourished he was that even the violent convulsions couldn't draw forth more than a dribbling of bile. 

A small hand rested on his back, rubbing soothing circles until he managed to get a hold of himself and he felt a frisson of shame at the thought of someone witnessing his weakness. 

"Are you feeling better now?" Piper asked. "Can you try a piece of ambrosia?"

He shook his head. "Can't. No... physical injuries, already had enough."

"Right." She said awkwardly. 

"What's happening?" Nico asked. "Where's the others?"

"Well they're supposed to be giving me a reason to assist them in the fight against the Giants but so far all they've done is bore me further." Bacchus said nonchalantly, leaning further back in the seat beside Nico and Piper, and accepting a goblet from the nymph beside him. "You and the Venus girl, Pippy are too injured to do much good at the moment."

As he spoke a second nymph came over and began bandaging Piper's shoulder while a third offered Nico some kind of clear soup that smelled heavenly to his deprived senses. 

Oh, for Father's sake, just eat the mortal food will you? I'm sure Uncle Hades will hate you just as much if you looked like a boy instead of a skeleton." Bacchus drawled boredly.

"Well, it wasn't like Tartarus offers a selection of mortal foods to choose from, my Lord." Nico said grimly, looking up from where he was trying not to inhale the broth. 

There was a sharp intake of breath. "No." Bacchus said softly. "I don't suppose there was."

Piper looked horrified. "Tartarus?" She whispered in fear.

"I'll explain later." Nico said trying and failing to hide his trembling hands. "When everyone is together."

"I suppose I must assist in the endeavour to ensure your crewmates survive till then, young demigod." The God sighed, before dissolving into purple smoke again. From below the cheering of the crowds swelled massively and Nico thought he could hear Otis and Ephialtes's whining. Despite the lackadaisical attitude, Bacchus was one of the Gods that were genuinely much more powerful than their Giant foes and Nico had no doubt that his theatrical attitude was only because he could finish them off easily.

As he had expected, hardly two minutes after the God had left, the same divine power lifted him and Piper and deposited them beside the others. 

"Well that was fun." Bacchus said imperiously. "You have my permission to complete your voyage."

"Permission?" Percy snarled and Nico had to resist the urge to send a large rock at his head at his blatant disrespect.

"Indeed. I presume you would want to rescue the Daughter of Minerva as well so you might want to try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building."

Percy's face paled worryingly. "Annabeth? What do you mean rescue?"

The shadow of the Argo II appeared above them and the creative death threats of Coach Hedge became audible as they spoke.

"I'm sure you'll find out." Bacchus said. He turned to look at Nico, a faint sorrow in his expression. "I'm afraid your voyage will be a bit harder, Son of Pluto."

Nico gulped. "I know, my Lord." He said softly. "I am prepared." 

"If you say so." With that, the God disappeared into a pale mist that smelled faintly of grapes.

"Come on board, cupcakes!" Hedge called tossing them a rope to climb on that Percy grabbed immediately. "Time's a-wasting!"

Nico made to follow Percy but before he could make it, he was dragged into Hazel's arms as she hugged him. Ignoring the growing wet patch on his shirt, he leaned into her warmth, shivering slightly as she held him tighter. 

"Gods, Nico." She whispered wetly. "I was so worried. I'm- I'm so glad you're alive." 

"Me too." Nico managed to get out. "Me too."

* * *


	11. A Relapse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We're going to blast through the parking lot with the Argo II's ballistae." Leo said. "The wine dude said that Annabeth was in need of a rescue and earlier Hazel, Frank and I ran into Queen Dirt Face who showed us an image of Annabeth with a broken ankle."
> 
> "Annabeth's strong." Nico said comfortingly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's smart enough to stall at least."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Thank you all for the lovely comments, kudos and bookmarks. They are amazing and make my day. Here's a new chapter, and I hope you
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

The demigods gathered around the helm, leaving Coach Hedge to steer. Jason was checking Piper's shoulder while Hazel tried to get Nico to eat some crackers. Even climbing onto the ship had been beyond exhausting and Nico didn't know how he would be able to get through Tartarus when he could barely walk without fainting.

Percy was talking softly to Leo and Piper, sending worried glances Nico's way while Frank just stood behind Hazel like a particularly adorable bodyguard.

"Nico?" Piper called and he made a vague assenting sound. "Are you okay to talk about... about Tartarus now?"

There was a flurry of gasps and vaguely frightened sounds. Percy, in particular looked absolutely terrified while Hazel just tightened her hold on his arm. 

"Yes." He said, his voice impossibly soft. "Yeah." He repeated a bit louder. As much as he didn't want to talk, he would be leaving them in less than a day, he couldn't afford to delay this conversation. "First off, thank you for rescuing me. I had almost given up hope."

Leo made a distressed sound. 

"As most of you know, I went to look for the Doors of Death. Both Father and Lady Hera agreed that it was likely my role in the quest." He took a deep breath. "There are... two sides- the mortal one is in an Underground temple in Epirus, Greece. It's called the House of Hades. I can- I can mark it on a map and Hazel should be able to sense it due to her heritage." He broke off, coughing slightly. Hazel handed him his sword and he leaned on it like a cane. 

"It's heavily guarded." His voice broke as he remembered how all of them had met their end at the Doors. All but Percy and Annabeth, who had been in Tartarus, had died at the hands of Gaia's forces and here he was, sending them back there. He could only hope that Percy and Annabeth would make a difference. " _Very_ well guarded. I...um I have an idea for that but I'd like Annabeth's opinion on it as well."

"What about the second side." Jason asked hesitantly.

"That's- that's in Tartarus." Nico whispered, looking at the ground. "You have to understand, Tartarus is not just a prison, it's a living primordial's body. The Doors are located in his heart where all the rivers of the Underworld flow into. To close the Doors, they need to be closed from both sides."

The unspoken sentence was loud enough- someone would have to close it.

"Okay..." Percy pinched the bridge of his nose. As if their day couldn't get depressing enough. "For now, we'll get Annabeth. Anything else, we'll discuss after that."

There was a murmur of acquiescence and the group separated. Leo shot him a guilty look and ran to the navigation room, probably to save it from being destroyed by Coach Hedge's enthusiasm. Nico picked up his sword and made to leave as Hazel stood up as well, probably to accompany him. With a gentle shake of his head he directed her to Frank instead and headed below deck alone. 

Surprisingly his backpack had survived the journey and it was a matter of a few minutes to fill the bag again. Palming several drachmas from the common area, he headed to the bathroom for what was arguably the most important part of his preparations.

"Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Clarisse LaRue at Camp Half-blood."

"Di Angelo?" A shocked voice came out of the mist. It cleared slightly to show the Daughter of Ares staring at him in blatant shock. "Gods of Olympus, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story." Nico said dismissively. "I need your help urgently."

"Uh huh." She said still staring in naked concern that he had never assumed the Daughter of Ares to be capable off.

"Do you know Lord Ares's Giant enemy?"

"What?"

"All the Giants have been made to oppose one particular god." Nico said impatiently. "What was Lord Ares's opposing Giant called?"

"Uh... Damasen." She said. "But I don't think he fights. There is only a story of how he was built to oppose Father but because of Father's love for battle, he was a pathetic coward and refused to fight. We aren't that bothered about him." She puffed up like a peacock at the last statement. "Why? Has there been any evidence of his fighting?" She added suspiciously.

"No, no, nothing like that." Nico reassured her. "But that was very helpful, thank you."

"Whatever punk." She grumbled. "You better not die, or I'll cream your ass." She made as if to cut the connection but Nico rushed to stop her.

"Wait! Is- is Will Solace anywhere around?" He asked, ignoring the way his heart beat faster. It didn't mean anything.

"He's with the Roman punks." Clarisse scowled. "Bunch of pansies playing pretend with a sword."

"Right. Okay. Thanks anyway." With a final scowl, Clarisse broke the connection and Nico was left staring at the rainbow on the wall. It would have been helpful to talk to Will, he tried to justify, he knew about first aid. It was nothing to do with the fact that seeing Will's face left him more optimistic and talking to the son of Apollo gave him hope. He shook his head lightly as he stood. That was one of the preparations done, he thought instead. Next, he would need some method of surviving the fall into Tartarus. He didn't think repeatedly breaking his bones would do him any good and if he could avoid that particular torture, it would be helpful.

He peeked guiltily at what could only be Annabeth's room. He had known the traps she would have faced to get the Athena Parthenos. Could he have given her any extra information? Whether or not he could justify his source, if it kept Annabeth safe, wasn't it worth it?

Speaking of which, he wasn't even sure if he could talk about the time travel. Hera had seemed to imply that he should keep quiet about it and change things in the background probably because his actions would influence the seven Chosen and they might take different actions that would derail the prophecies. 

Still, all the Gods seemed to have some kind of idea of it, as evidenced by the fact that neither Akhlys nor the twins had been surprised by his wishes. Bacchus had also suggested that he knew that Nico was returning to Tartarus and Nemesis had known how many seeds he had before he himself did. Apollo probably had an idea, he was the God of prophecy after all and he highly doubted that Athena couldn't infer the truth from his strange actions. The silence from his Father could also be because he had shown his hand too early by releasing his younger self's soul.

If the Gods did in fact know that he was a time traveller, it was possible that the Giants weren't far behind. 

He would have to find someone else to confide in, so that the knowledge of the failed timeline wasn't lost if he died in Tartarus. 

Annabeth was the best option but she wouldn't consider any of his suggestions, her pride as an Athena kid meant that she would rather make her own plans. Percy was also ruled out because he would give it to Annabeth immediately. He dismissed Frank and Piper as well, simply because he didn't know them well enough to predict their actions. 

That left Jason, Leo and Hazel.

Reluctantly, he was forced to cross Jason out as well because he hadn't had the time to build trust with the Roman. In the last timeline it had been the quest to retrieve Diocletion's sceptre that cemented their friendship and without that Jason simply saw him as a fellow quester, albeit one that he knew only second hand through Leo or Hazel.

He ended up addressing it to the both of them. He didn't want to burden Hazel with it but she was the only one who would be able to know when he died. 

Putting pen to paper, he wrote as much as he could remember. Monsters the Giants revived, weapons they produced. He wrote of the battle at the House of Hades and the fate of their past selves. He wrote of Piper's awakening of Festus and Leo's escape from Calypso's island. He wrote about Annabeth and Percy in Tartarus and the Romans declaring war against the Greeks. He wrote about his and Reyna's transport of the Athena Parthenos and the importance of bringing the statue to Camp Half-blood. He dedicated several pages to the strategies the Unified Rebellion attempted and the consequences. Details and suspicions of traitors, ways to shelter the Gods and as detailed a map of Tartarus as he could make were next. Finally, he wrote about the battle of Tartarus, the final stand and the last loss they would ever suffer.

When he was done, he had nearly filled the little notebook he kept. He never explicitly stated how he knew what he did, but it was impossible to not infer the truth with the clues he had given. Without explicit orders either way, this was all he could do.

 _Hazel,_ he wrote carefully on the cover of the notebook.

_Do not open this until and unless you are certain that I am dead. Share it with Leo. What you do with the information is up to you. I love you._

_Nico_

Ignoring the finality of the moment, Nico left the book in Hazel's room and headed back above deck where the ship was beginning to descend. He had all his supplies, now he just needed to make sure Percy and Annabeth didn't fall as well.

Leo looked like he was having an enthusiastic discussion with Coach Hedge about explosives and Nico shuddered at the likely outcome of that unholy duo. They seemed to come to an agreement and the next minute, the satyr was whooping and heading to the control room leaving Leo looking after him in amusement.

"Do I want to know what the outcome of that was?" Nico said drily, coming up to stand beside Leo.

"Nico!" Leo's expression dimmed slightly on catching sight of him and Nico ignored the pang of hurt. "How're you feeling?"

Nico shrugged not really wanting to lie and Leo's expression softened.

"We're going to blast through the parking lot with the Argo II's ballistae." He said instead. "The wine dude said that Annabeth was in need of a rescue and earlier Hazel, Frank and I ran into Queen Dirt Face who showed us an image of Annabeth with a broken ankle."

"Annabeth's strong." Nico said comfortingly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's smart enough to stall at least."

"Tell that to Percy." Leo said with a snort. "Dude's a wreck. It took both Hazel and Piper to get him to wait until we break in."

Nico smiled sadly. He had been too consumed by jealousy to see it at the time but Percy's devotion to Annabeth was incredible. He jumped into Tartarus with her, for Hades' sake! They had gone through too much together to be comfortable without the other and he said as much to Leo, who just looked pained.

"Can you- can you make something for me?" Nico asked suddenly. "Without asking me why I need it?"

"What do you need?" 

"Something like a parachute. To slow a descent."

Leo frowned slightly, "Are you plan-"

"Without questions." Nico interrupted. "Please."

His suspicious gaze didn't falter in the slightest though he nodded n resignation. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Thank you." Nico huffed out a breath that was only slightly shaky. "Really."

The sound of the ballistae breaking through arrested their conversation for the moment and Nico watched in awe as cars showered through the opening they had made. Ropes of Arachne's silk caught many of them but the majority fell like rain onto crumbling tapestries and the vibrant colours glowed within the musty gloom.

"Annabeth!" Percy screamed, probably terrified that she had gotten caught under the vehicles.

"Here!" A distinctly muffled cry came and Nico wasn't the only one to breathe a sigh of relief.

"C'mon." Leo helped Nico to the rope ladder someone had dropped off the edge of the ship and the others followed him into the cavern.

As soon as he touched the ground, Nico felt the icy fingers of Tartarus grabbing him, digging into his shoulders and arresting his motion. He shuddered violently. 

How had he not noticed this last time? The very air seemed to reek of death and pain and it was several degrees colder. The distant rumbling in his ears only confirmed his knowledge that this was a direct entrance to the Pit. If he didn't know what he did, he would have shadow travelled them all out of there and to Hades with the consequences.

Nobody seemed to have noticed his unease, gathering around Annabeth as she buried her face in Percy's chest and sobbed. Her leg was strangely wrapped in bubble wrap and Nico recalled that Leo had said that it was broken.

“Oh, Annabeth, what happened?” Piper said, shocked, as she knelt by the injured limb and offered the Daughter of Athena some ambrosia.

Nico remembered most of what Annabeth described but it didn't make it any less impressive. The quest was truly a test of Athena's children, purely based on their mental fortitude and strategic thinking and Annabeth had risen to the challenge magnificently. The brilliance of using Arachne's hubris against herself was masterfully done and the courage it would have taken to do all of that alone was awe inspiring. Generations of Athena kids had tried and failed until Annabeth.

Unbidden, his gaze fell on the statue standing at attention. Even within the gloomy air of the cavern, it seemed to glow from within, a calming aura that let Nico breathe easier than he would have, so close to Tartarus. He hoped Reyna would come to collect it soon, though he wasn't sure of how it would be transported without his shadow travel. Perhaps Leo could rig something up.

Speaking of which...

"Here you go." Leo said, handing him a strangely shaped mass of bronze. "One personal helicopter as requested."

Nico's jaw dropped. "I was really expecting something like a parachute or something." He said weakly. "Holy Hera, you're amazing."

"Eh, it's all in a day's work." Leo waved off the compliment. "All you gotta do is pull that lever," he pointed it out, "and it will keep you alive even if you drop down from Olympus." His hand glowed red hot as he welded the device to the zips of Nico's backpack. 

"You're amazing." Nico repeated and this time Leo blushed.

"Just..." His expression grew serious. "Whatever you're planning to do, just... stay alive, okay?"

Nico looked away. "I'll do my best."

He turned his attention back to where Percy was giving Annabeth an abridged version of their own exploits and had just gotten to Nico's information about the Doors of Death.

“So the mortal side is in Epirus,” she said. “At least that’s somewhere we can reach.”

"You'll still have to fight through Gaia's forces." Nico pointed out. There was no way he would let them underestimate that battle because they were worrying about Tartarus instead. That was his burden to bear.

"I have a suggestion for that, actually." He turned to Jason. "Have you heard of Diocletion's sceptre?"

"Oh!" His eyes lit up. "That would be perfect!"

"Hold up." Percy interrupted. "Who's Diocletion and why's his sceptre important?"

"He was the last great pagan emperor." Frank explained. "He was one of the last to worship the Roman gods before Constantinople adopted Christianity."

"I didn't know he had demigod ancestry." Annabeth frowned. "He's always been villified in modern times."

"I remember something about that. The nuns at St. Agnes taught us that Diocletian was a huge villain, right along with Nero and Caligula.” Hazel added thoughtfully.

"He's a Son of Jupiter, like me." Jason admitted. "Reyna and I planned to visit his temple and ask his ghost where his sceptre was buried."

"Supposedly the sceptre has the ability to raise the dead, loyal dead that would follow a Roman general." He pointed at Jason and Percy. "Either of you should be able to command them and Hazel should be able to raise them, being of the Underworld." 

They had in fact, considered it in the original timeline. Nico, Coach Hedge and Reyna had been ready to leave with the Athena Parthenos while the others set off for the House of Hades. Only one of them could take the sceptre and they had underestimated Gaia's forces by deciding that since the Athena Parthenos was the priority, Nico should carry the sceptre instead of giving it to Hazel. It had been incredibly helpful and he wasn't sure they would have survived without it, but he had always wondered if the others would have lived if they managed to use it instead.

"That would be helpful and all," Leo said, "but it's the other side that's the problem. Tartarus."

The word echoed in the cavern and a blast of icy air made them all shiver. Nico ignored the whisper of power that was dragging him into the gaping hole. 

Not yet.

"Didn't Bacchus say something-" Hazel was cut off by a creaking sound and the Athena Parthenos tilted precariously.

"The pedestal is crumbling!" Jason called out in alarm.

Annabeth paled. "Secure it!" 

Leo understood what she meant immediately and was already barking orders. Grabbing onto Frank, who had turned into an eagle, he was flown to the helm of the Argo II, calling for the Coach to release grappling lines.

"I'll be back in a sec." Jason promised, grabbing Piper and flying up himself.

"Come on, the rope ladder's this way." Hazel put his arm across her shoulder helping him into a light jog while Percy did the same for Annabeth. The four of them hobbled gingerly across the cracks on the floor, ignoring the bursts of frigid air that set their teeth chattering. 

Nico kept an eye on the statue as it glowered down on the demigods struggling to keep it upright. There was a line wrapped around its neck like a noose and Nico had to smother a hysterical giggle at the sight. Jason and Leo were yelling as they worked to secure the statue that only groaned louder and more ominously with every added support.

Annabeth screamed.

Nico whirled around, unbalancing Hazel. He dove for Annabeth as she was dragged backwards to the hole in the ground. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite heavy enough and the momentum dragged him as well, his shirt ripping slightly as he was pulled across sharp rock.

"Cut it!" Hazel screamed but Percy didn't seem to realise what was happening as he also grabbed Annabeth's hand, slowing them down ever so slightly. 

"There's silk... on her ankle." Nico gritted out. "Cut it!"

Nico let go when he realised that Percy wouldn't be able to reach it without leaving Annabeth's hand and there was no way he would do that. He gritted his teeth as Annabeth's legs went over the edge.

"No!" He muttered in horror. "No. No no. Not again, please!" This was the event he had come to change! Without saving Percy and Annabeth the entire quest was doomed. Everything would have been for naught.

Annabeth's body went over the edge and Percy followed, the tips of his fingers the only thing visible above the yawning abyss. Nico could hear Tartarus laughing in his ears.

Once again he found himself on the edge of tbe chasm begging Percy to hold on. He didn't have any other plans, there was nothing he could do even as he saw the taut rope tugging the two demigods into Tartarus.

"Percy, let me go." Annabeth begged. "You can't pull me up."

No, Nico realised, not as long as Arachne held the other end of the silk string. But he could do something. He looked around frantically for a hint of darkness but the ship had let in too much light. His own shadow as barely visible. He cursed frantically as he unsheathed his sword. 

There! 

He caught sight of the faintest shadow of Percy's hand but it was enough. He had fought enough that he knew to use the slightest advantage available to him. 

"Percy." He said calmly as the Son of Poseidon's face twisted into a grimace, knuckles white on the ledge. "You better get them to Epirus." He took a deep breath. " And don't you dare die."

With that, he dissolved into the sliver of darkness below Percy's fingers, appearing below Annabeth just in time to slice through the silk pulling her down. His last glimpse was of Annabeth's pained face, pale and tear stained as she held onto Percy's dangling legs. The last thing he heard was Percy's horrified "Nico, no!" before he was falling once again.

Below him, the abyss welcomed the intruder with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, listen to Soldatino (Nico's Lullaby) by Paola Bennet, it's so freaking good. I legit cried.


	12. A Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your part..." Apollo whispered in his ear as he took in the hopeless look in Reyna's eyes as Nico was stuck chest deep in the ground. "You must change it. It is your role to play. Go..." 
> 
> The last thing he remembered was watching the light dim from Nico's dark eyes and Reyna's scream of agony as he died before he jerked awake with Nico's name on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> Gods this chapter was a pain and a half to deal with! I re wrote it thrice. Twice from Nico's PoV, once from Leo's and then finally from Will's. Though I do like how it ended up in the end. Rachel's scene was one of my favourites I think. Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment or a kudo! It warms my heart to see so many of you enjoying this story! Don't forget to
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Sometimes Will seriously hated being a son of Apollo. 

Oh, the ability to heal was amazing, he had seen several of his siblings' incredible archery talents and had been awed at some of their amazing voices and musical talents but he could really do without the godsdamned prophetic nightmares.

Take now for instance. He could only make out the giant silhouette of a statue through the fog but even without a clear view, he could feel the power it radiated. Even as the fog cleared ever so slightly it didn't help much, the frowning face of Athena the only clue. He supposed it was a beautiful work of craftsmanship, carved out of ivory and gold and as someone who had actually seen the Goddess, very true to reality but he really couldn't see why it was special enough to warrant a demigod dream.

"Athena Parthenos..." The answer was whispered into his ear and it was only his longtime exposure to similar dreams and his father's unique brand of 'help' that kept him from jumping. He tried to recall the myths he knew that were related to the Athena Parthenos. All he knew was that it was stolen by the Romans at some point in time and that it was a huge insult to Athena. Wasn't that why the Athena cabin was so against the alliance between the camps?

"Nico!" The speaker came into view, dark hair mussed and falling out of her braid and Will did a double take as Reyna swung her weapon into a graceful arc that blew away the rest of the fog. "Nico come on!"

The Son of Hades was wearing the giant statue like a backpack, and struggling towards his companion. "Can't...!" He gasped out. "No shadows." And now that Will could see the scene clearly, he could make out the unnatural absence of any kind of darkness. 

"What is happening?" Reyna said as she tried to tilt the statue enough to produce a shadow to no avail. "The lights..." 

A sudden scream and Will gasped in horror as the ground beneath Nico's feet bubbled horrifyingly. "Gaia." He whispered. He tried to jump out of the quicksand but it wasn't doing much. The statue was sinking as well, and its weight was pulling Nico down faster even as Reyna struggled to drag him out. 

"Something's wrong with the sun." Nico managed to gasp out and Will felt shivers going down his spine. "Apollo was defeated, he's dying." 

Reyna gaped in shock. "How? The Earth Mother is still asleep!" She grunted as Nico sank another inch. "Then the shadows...?"

"His domain is going to the Giants." Nico replied blankly. "I can feel his essence dissolving like Kronos's did." He doubled over in pain at the last word, clutching his stomach with a gasp. "He's- He's gone."

Will didn't realise that he was crying until he felt the tears block his nose and choke him. He hadn't been incredibly close to his father, such were the ways of Gods but the familial relationship was enough that he felt the devastation of losing the God. He hated how despite Nico's distressing words, the sun continued to shine, continued to glow brighter, erasing every shadow that could save Nico and Reyna. 

"Your part..." His father whispered in his ear as he took in the hopeless look in Reyna's eyes as Nico was stuck chest deep in the ground. "You must change it. It is your role to play. Go..." 

The last thing he remembered was watching the light dim from Nico's dark eyes and Reyna's scream of agony as he died before he jerked awake with Nico's name on his lips.

"Gods of Olympus." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes in frustration, trying to reorient himself. At least there was no one else in the cabin that he had disturbed with his dream. It was strange, he thought, he had never had a dream that was so obviously directing his course of action. The seven were heading to Rome to get the Athena Parthenos and based on his dream, he and Reyna would have to head there as well to catch up with them.

Besides the Battle of Manhattan, he hadn't been on a quest. Apollo kids didn't tend to do so well on them and none of them were too eager to go on potentially life-threatening missions. It would be a very different role to play, for the medics and defensive fighters that they tended to be, and frankly speaking, before Percy had come to camp, quests were rare enough that it wasn't too odd. Now though, he was one of the only camp counselors that hadn't been on a quest despite his extensive experience in the infirmary.

Well, he supposed that would be changing now. 

Slipping on his scrubs, he headed to the temporary camp the Romans had set up and asked for Reyna. Thankfully he had been recognised as a leader of the camp and so it wasn't too difficult.

"Solace." The Praetor greeted.

"Reyna." Will returned. "Have you had any strange dreams about the Athena Parthenos?" Too late he realised that he ought to have asked it a little more tactfully but he was still on edge from watching Nico die and diplomacy wasn't his strongest suit.

Reyna fixed him with an unreadable look. "I have." She said simply. "Why?"

"Okay, I don't know if it's the same with the Roman aspect, but Apollo kids on the Greek side tend to get prophetic knowledge through their dreams." He took a breath. "I've been dreaming of you and Nico failing to transport the Athena Parthenos."

He wasn't sure but he thought she might have stiffened slightly. "By failing, you mean we die?" She asks bluntly.

"One or the both of you." Will confirmed. "But someone has to transport the statue. That is fixed. Whether you fail or not is what is in flux at the moment."

Reyna was quiet a long time. "My dreams have been... similar." She said finally. "I have seen Giants capture us, and I have seen the son of Pluto fail to continue after my own death. A voice always mocks us as we die and says that we were never going to be enough."

Will winced. "That's... uhhh. That makes sense with my dream actually. See, this is the difference between Apollo kids' dreams and normal demigod dreams. Apollo doesn't really mind helping us out every so often and he tends to be present in the dreams as well, usually giving us advice or whatever."

Reyna nodded. "That's fairly similar to what the Roman demigods experience as well."

"Right. So in my dream my father told me that my part, my role was to change the dream. The failure to transport the statue, and he sort of hinted that I needed to be there as well." Will paused, eyeing the Praetor carefully as if she would disagree with him. When no negative came from that corner, he relaxed. "I'm planning to go to the Oracle to see if she has anything to say. I was wondering if you could do the same with... Octavian."

"I have." Reyna interrupted. "He's very strongly of the belief that irrespective of what the portents foretell, to leave the boundaries of Camp Jupiter is to court battle. He is firmly against this alliance and I'm the only one stopping him from dissolving it."

"But the portents do say that you need to help transport the statue."

Reyna sighed wearily. "Yes they do."

"Then what's the issue?" Will asked. "On one side you have the gods and fates and on the other you have a prejudiced legacy. I thought the choice would be obvious?"

Will met her glare with one of his own. The good thing about being Head Medic was that he was used to belligerent demigods throwing their weight around. "Are you really going to let the quest of a Great Prophecy go because of one person's prejudices?"

"And who do you suppose will lead Camp Jupiter in my absence?" Reyna snapped. "He will dissolve the alliance the moment my back is turned."

Will threw his hands in the air. "Then give the role to someone else, someone you trust! Or just give him the role in absentia or something wherein he can't touch the orders you've given. I don't know! Are you saying that he's that powerful and somehow not in a position of power?"

"No." Reyna said, breathing heavily. "No, he's not that powerful but he has the potential to be and that's what is worrisome."

"So catch him out." Will said softly. "Split the role. There are two Praetors anyway, give it to Octavian and someone who will keep him in check or at least catch him if he tries to go overboard. How much damage can he do in three months anyway?"

"I'll... consider it." The daughter of Bellona said heavily. "You can consult your Oracle and I'll think on my decision."

Will barely nodded, too frustrated at her determination to fight alone. She was very much like Nico in that way, determined that she would be the only one to protect her entire camp and while it was admirable, the fact of the matter remained that there was only so much one demigod could do. Eventually you would have to trust others to do their own jobs.

Still he hoped that he had managed to convince her otherwise; he was nearly certain that they needed her for the quest. He shivered as he headed to Rachel Dare's cave, the sight of Nico's dead eyes haunting him with every step he took. 

"Will!" The Oracle greeted him and Will grinned at her enthusiasm, giving her a quick hug. The Apollo cabin had a great relationship with Rachel, all but adopting her as another sibling and helping her through the prophetic dreams she had not been used to though she had far surpassed them in that area now.

"Rachel. I need some advice."

"Oh?"

"A... dream." He sat down where she indicated and looked around. "I'm almost certain it's a quest for me. And Reyna." He added. "To transport the Athena Parthenos back to camp with Nico." He paused when Rachel frowned at the boy's name. 

"He's been throwing my dreams into a flux lately." She said. "It's... weird. They're not different but it's like the time has shifted, like... like the background music in a film has suddenly changed without affecting the visuals. Something off in the background but I can't See it." She looked frustrated. "I can't explain it."

"Prophecies don't change." Will said sharply.

"No." She agreed. "The prophecies don't change, we know that." She hesitated before rising again. "Come on, I'll show you."

She directed him to the very back of the cave in the darkest corner where her paintings were drying. There had never been an Oracle who showed people images of their prophecies. This was entirely Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

The first one she uncovered showed a dark haired figure staring directly at a Goddess though it wasn't clear which demigod or Goddess it was. When Will looked closer, he saw the remains of blond hair beneath the black.

"I painted that one a while back but one night I woke up to find that I had painted over it while sleeping. It was originally a blond demigod looking at the Goddess but that changed." Rachel explained. She indicated the one beside it and Will gasped. A demigod, was lying unconscious on a bed of rock and gravel, limbs twisted grotesquely around him. Despite the morbid image, the surroundings were in bright, light colours, a stark contrast to the solemn centerpiece. He couldn't help but notice how similar the painting's features were to Nico.

"That one I painted before all the others. It was originally entirely dark, all black and maroon but for some reason, three nights ago it felt incredibly wrong and it wasn't until I painted the entire thing again with light colours did it feel appropriate."

"And it's Nico changing them?" Will clarified.

"I'm not entirely certain but it's a hunch. And I don't tend to get those wrong very often." Rachel replied.

"Yeah. I know. I trust you."

She put away her artwork but the last one caught Will's eye. It was dark. The darkest of all her works, almost entirely in black and grey and all it showed was a threadbare bed with bloodstained sheets. There was nothing of interest except a black sword leaning beside the bedpost. Wickedly curved and jet-black, Will recognised it immediately.

"That's Nico's sword."

"I know." Rachel replied, biting her lip. "But I don't understand what it's doing there. Nothing I See seems to make sense and the way I painted it makes it seem like death but also birth? I don't know. It's aggravating."

Will's blood ran cold. 

"Death."

"Someone definitely died there." Rachel explained. "And while the presence of the sword makes me assume it is associated with Nico, his affinity with death means it could just be his presence or something similar. It just feels _wrong_ , like I'm looking through... through the wrong prescription glasses. Blurry but distinguishable."

"But it could mean Nico's death."

Rachel gave him a long stare. "You know prophecies can't be avoided, Will. Interpreting a prophecy can give you countless possibilities and you should know better than to try to force one."

Will hung his head. "I do. I do. I just..."

Her expression softened. "I know. But I'm just here to guide. The final journey is taken by you."

Will was quiet as he digested the reprimand.

"Speaking of which." Rachel snapped her fingers. "The Athena Parthenos."

Will perked up. "Do you have a prophecy?" 

"Unfortunately not." She said with a frown. "The Oracle has been a bit on the fritz lately so I've just been dealing in my usual prophetic dreams and paintings. Lord Apollo has been laying low with the godly lockdown and all. But I can tell you that one Greek and one Roman have to be the ones to go. You mentioned Reyna?"

She waited for his nod before continuing. "I haven't Seen anything in regards to her specifically but if you have had any discerning dreams then I'd say you're right." She frowned as her eyes unfocussed for a few seconds. "A general warning about giants but since we are fighting them, that makes sense. Also that your journey may not be as simple as you assume and knowledge earned will be more than is lost..." 

She shook her head, focussing back on Will. "I don't have anything else, sorry."

"That's plenty." Will replied with a wan smile. "Thank you."

His gratitude was returned with a smile and a farewell that left him with plenty to think about.

* * *

"I have arranged for us to leave at dusk. Is that acceptable?"

Will jumped at the voice, dropping the roll of bandages and spinning around in shock. "Gods of Olympus, you're just as bad as Nico with his shadow travelling!"

Reyna's lips twitched ever so slightly at his words. "That's more of a compliment, you know?"

"Yeah yeah." He grumbled. "So what were you saying?"

"I have given Octavian and Verona Blake temporary leadership over the Legion. I thought we should leave as soon as possible to have the best chance of catching the Argo II." 

"Verona Blake?"

"She's a daughter of Apollo, legionnaire of the first cohort." Reyna explained. "Octavian can't oppose it even though he knows she doesn't care for his more... radical ideas."

"Ah." Will frowned. "Do you know where we're going and how? Rome is rather large and Greece is even larger."

"There is a... place where Jason would stop at. Diocletion's Palace in Split, Croatia. And we can always IM." She looked momentarily thoughtful. "I wonder if there is a Roman counterpart to that. Some form of instant communication would be very helpful."

"It's not always reliable. Iris doesn't accept courtesy messages, so she says and the further the distance, the harder it is to connect." He finished tying off the bandage and stored it back in the cupboard.

"Still." She shook her head. "Are you comfortable travelling on Pegasus back? As a son of Apollo you shouldn't have an issue right?"

"Nah, I'm pretty good with horses. You have your own Pegasus right?"

Her face softened into something resembling fondness. "Yes, I do." 

He smiled at her and she blinked at his enthusiasm. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but be excited at the thought of a quest. His first quest. There was something incredibly freeing about leaving camp borders with a purpose and it helped him push through the feeling of inadequacy at just hiding behind the camp protections. "Great. Then I'll be by Thalia's tree at sunset."

* * *

Dusk saw the Son of Apollo tossing drachmas with increasing annoyance into the fading rainbows beside Peleus the dragon.

"Solace?" 

He looked up, the irritation giving way slightly at Reyna's presence. "Sorry." He sighed. "I've been trying to contact Leo and it's not working very well."

"Do you believe he will have any information about the quest?"

"Not entirely." Will hedged. "I mean it would be helpful to know where exactly we have to go but Clarisse just told me that Nico IM'ed her a while back and asked for me but I was busy. It's... aggravating. I've tried Rome, Greece, the Argo II and the Underworld. Nothing's working so I thought I'll try one of the others." 

The rainbow flickered once again and Will tossed the drachma he was holding. "Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Leo Valdez on the Argo II flying above Rome."

"How specific does the location need to be?" Reyna asked. "Rome could mean an entire city."

"It mostly depends on how many demigods are in the vicinity. Which is helpful since there should not be any outside camp borders." He sighed, adjusting the golden bow and quiver of arrows on his shoulder. He might not have been the most talented at archery but he was still Apollo's son and that would always be his strongest weapon. "But the distance will also be an-." 

"Will? Is that you?" Leo's voice coming from the darkened image interrupted Will's explanation but he couldn't care less at the moment.

"Leo!" Will's trained eyes roved over the son of Haphaestus, buying the bruises and exhaustion. "By Apollo, what happened to you?" The mechanic looked even more tired that usual, and his hair was streaked with so much grease, it practically glowed even in the dim light. 

"I've been... busy." Leo said offering them such a pitiful excuse for a smile that Will felt his heart clench. "Lots of work to do, yanno how it is."

"Have you been-" The connection flickered violently and Will cursed as the connection snapped even as he tossed another drachma into the rainbow.

"-you need something?" He managed to catch and he was forced to reluctantly swallow his scolding. 

"I got an IM from Nico, any idea where he is or what he needed?" 

Even through the foggy connection, Will could see how Leo's expression crumpled into one of devastation. "I'm... so sorry. Will, I swear-"

Will's blood ran cold.

"He's not-" He whispered in dread. "You're not saying that he is...." Abruptly, he remembered the dream of Nico's empty eyes and Rachel's painting of Death. Had he read it wrong? Was it just a prediction of Nico's death? His father wouldn't be cruel enough to show him that if it was inevitable, would he? 

"He's not... dead." Leo managed to get out but the way he said it didn't give Will any reason to relax. "There was a pit, when we went to get the Athena Parthenos. It... led straight down to... to Tartarus." He whispered the last word but Will swore he felt the air grow colder. "Nico saved Percy and Annabeth but... but he had to... jump."

"Into Tartarus." Will felt his mouth move and the vocal cords vibrate but the sound felt detached like he was listening to someone else speak. The connection was flickering again but he couldn't be bothered to try and fix it, too horrified by the news Leo had just delivered.

"-re getting him out! There's- temple... in Epirus. We are heading there now."

Distantly he could here Leo and Reyna speaking but he was too consumed by the thought of the Pot of Damnation. Tartarus was where Kronos and the other Titans were jailed. It was where _every_ monster they ever fought returned to and where _the Gods themselves feared to tread._

And Nico would have to survive it.

"Solace." Reyna's hands came to rest on his shoulders, grounding him. "Will." 

He blinked.

"Will, if there's one demigod I'd bet on surviving the impossible, it's Nico di Angelo." Reyna said firmly. 

Will managed a broken laugh. "It's the Godsdamned Pit of Eternal Damnation!" He said hysterically.

"It is." Reyna agreed. " But that boy... he is... most definitely a survivor. He's seen the worst of the world and is yet to break so _trust_ in him. He's going to get out of there."

"I hope so." Will said brokenly. " _Gods_ I really hope so."

* * *


	13. A Melody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sirens." Will breathed. "There are sirens ahead and I think I heard their song!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> This plus one more chapter with Will and Reyna and then we'll get back to our regularly scheduled Angst. Please leave a comment and a kudo to let me know what you thought. I apologise for my lack of presence in the comments lately, I'm struggling a bit for time. Rest assured I read them all and they are the reason I'm sticking with this story for a while.
> 
> I hope you do
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

The Mare Nostrum was surprisingly beautiful.

For all the warnings the Romans had given, they had been oddly lucky enough to have a fairly uninterrupted flight. Beyond the odd Stymphalian Bird that Will managed to shoot out of the air and the one terrifying gryphon that Reyna had dispatched, they hadn't been attacked as often as Will had expected. He might have blamed it on his inexperience but Reyna had also mentioned that there were supposed to be worse foes to deal with and so far they had passed relatively unmolested.

"You're offensive skill is not bad for a medic." Reyna said off handedly, when they had stopped at one of the minuscule islands dotting the cerulean sea for a break. "Is it normal to train medics in Camp Half-blood?"

"It's nothing to do with the fact that I'm a medic." Will explained. "At camp, we train to survive alone. Which means that I'm expecting to come across an enemy I'll have to defeat without any backup either when I'm at home or travelling outside camp. In that case, singing healing hymns aren't gonna do much. Y'all can afford to train for a single role within New Rome because you have people watching your back."

"I... see. I hadn't considered it that way." Reyna replied, an expression of faint surprise on her face. "I suppose the protection of the city is more helpful than I had assumed."

"You don't understand exactly how amazing it was." Will said somewhat wistfully. "Camp is lovely and I owe it everything but to find out about an _entire city of demigods_ , surviving, living and thriving. It was like a dream."

"I suppose it would be." She said thoughtfully. "I think I understand Perseus's awe a little more now."

They remained in silence, but Will got the sense that it was more contemplative than awkward. The gentle crashing of waves on the shore was relaxing and the air was clean and fresh. 

"Have you been on many quests then?" He asked curiously. 

"I suppose it would depend on your definition of quest." Reyna sighed. "I didn't come to Camp the traditional way but I was exposed to the immortal world for nearly as long as I can remember." She took s break and forced herself to ignore the memories of exactly why that was. "But in camp I went on several solo quests turing our battle with the Titan Krios. Aside from those I've only ever defended the Camp. Jason was offence and I was the defence, that was how it always was." She prayed he didn't catch the tremble on her fellow Praetor's name. "What about you?"

"Oh, this is my first official quest." Will chuckled sheepishly. "I was a medic during the Battle of Manhattan, against Kronos but I've never been on a formal quest."

Reyna didn't look entirely surprised so maybe his inexperience had been pretty obvious. That or she had taken the time to find out about him before leaving camp. The latter seemed more like something she would do.

"Aren't we supposed to have more monsters?" Will asked. "I mean, I'm not complaining but it is the forbidden land because of the overabundance of monsters, right?"

Reyna nodded stiffly. "Smaller prey hides from predators." She said tightly. "I'm afraid that there will be more worrisome monster ahead of us and its presence is warding off the weaker creatures."

Will stiffened. "Well, that's not good." 

He kept his guard up even as they mounted their steeds and took off. The breeze was soothing in the heat but he was too tense to appreciate it. It wasn't until they had been flying for nearly half a day without an attack that he relaxed some.

Of course that was when he heard it.

Beautiful, angelic singing, dancing in the breeze. Now, being a son of the God of Music, Will knew a thing or two about melodious voices and he could tell you with absolute one hundred percent accuracy that there was and never would be a song as beautiful as the one he heard at that moment. The notes danced in the breeze and even as his Pegasus banked sharply, Will just sat there dumbly, luxuriating in the swell and fall of the most exquisite harmonies he had ever imagined.

It wasn't just the song, but the words, serenading him with dreams he hadn't dared to look back on and happy endings he had deemed impossible. The conviction in those voices surrounded him like a hug, warm and comforting as they caressed him and urged him forward. Through the cloud cover, he could see Lee Fletcher grinning broadly at him, all evidence of his fatal wound gone. Michael Yew stood beside him along with Caster, the son of Dionysus, Jade of the Hermes cabin and Lily of the Demeter cabin. The shadowy faces of injured demigods he remembered trying desperately to heal remained in the background but the evidence was clear. All the casualties of the Battle of Manhattan that Will had struggled to save, stood whole and healthy before him. He could feel tears dripping down his cheeks as he wept with the urge to touch the dreams they offered him.

As if in a dream he felt himself leaning forward, uncaring of how he slipped from his mount, only focussed on how he could get closer to the possibility of having his failures reversed. He was mesmerized and it wasn't until the song started to grow fainter that he began to struggle against the hands that were dragging him backwards and away from the melody.

"Let me go! Let me go! I need to save them. I need to- LEE! LEE! Michael! Let me go!"

There were restraints, wrapping themselves around his arms and cutting into his skin but he didn't care. All he knew was that he needed to be free in order to get to the source of the song. He fought like a bear, rough and untaught, desperate only for the singer, deaf to the curses of his partner and the furious struggles she made as she tried to pull him away from the... Siren's Call.

And then all at once, it was gone.

"Wh-what happened?" Will stuttered. He was on Reyna's Pegasus, arms tied up with his own bowstring. He was breathless and his cheeks were wet. 

"What is Jupiter's name was that?" Reyna demanded. "You were perfectly normal one second and the next you were diving headfirst into the sea and demanding to be let go."

"Sirens." Will breathed. "There are sirens ahead. I think I heard their song!"

Reyna stared at him incredulously. "I didn't hear anything."

"Apollo's gift." He pointed at his ears. "I can whistle sonically, my ears are probably enhanced to protect them but Gods of Olympus, is that what it sounds like?" He shook his head trying to dislodge the images they had planted.

Reyna eyed him carefully. "We don't have wax." She replied. "How do you propose we get past them?"

The reminder sobered Will up though he still gazed wistfully in the direction of the haunting melody. "Do we have anything else to block our ears with?" He eyed the seaweed floating on the surface of the water distastefully and frowned as he tried to remember the myths about the Sirens.

Friends of Persephone, beautiful singers who lured sailors to their island to eat them. Odysseus had escaped them by stuffing his crew's ears with wax to protect them from the hypnotic song. There was no record of them ever being killed. 

"Wasn't there a son of Apollo who managed to get past them?" Reyna asked dubiously. "A Greek demigod."

Will's eyes lit up. "Orpheus!"

"The one who tried to get his wife back from the Underworld?"

"Yeah, same guy." Will said. "He helped Jason and the Argonauts by defeating the Siren's song with his own music and poetry. As a son of Apollo and one of the greatest musicians in history, the Sirens didn't stand a chance."

"Could you do it then?" Reyna asked and Will's expression shuttered.

"Music... isn't really my strong suit." He admitted bitterly, tugging at his restraints until Reyna helped untie him. "Neither is poetry. Healing is the only gift Father has ever given me."

Will wasn't... bitter persay, but he couldn't help the tiniest bit of resentment. While he had always been grateful for his healing ability, it wasn't fun to watch as all his siblings excelled in several fields. Along with the Hermes cabin, Apollo was one of the most diversely talented one, given all the different domains his father held sway over and it showed in the expression of talents in his children.

Well, except for Will.

His archery skills, while not terrible were definitely bad enough that he would never be assigned frontline duty. It hurt, as he remembered siblings like Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew, who perished on the battlefield; it hurt that the most he could do for his loved ones was pray they came back intact enough for him to put them back together. He knew his fatal flaw was a savior complex; it was common in a cabin of healers where they all wanted to save their patients, but he didn't think any of his siblings knew what it was like to have to wait and pray instead of fighting. He might be Head Medic, but the title grated on his nerves more often than not. 

Music was another skill he had been unable to master. The sad fact was that it was not even particularly special. Practically every Apollo demigod had managed to pick up an instrument with relative ease or sing like a choir of angels. There was a reason they led the camp sing-alongs. Well, aside from Will. 

Again, his skills were not terrible, they just weren't... divine and to attempt a feat that only the greatest musician in the world had succeeded in was pushing his already flimsy luck.

"Didn't you say that there were healing songs?" Reyna asked, surprising him out of his resentful spiel. "And if you are as good as a medic as what I've heard, then you must be good at them, right?"

"...yes."

"It's a song imbued with Apollo's magic. Wouldn't it work?"

Will frowned in contemplation. "I... don't know." He wasn't eager to gamble with their lives but they didn't really have a choice and the entire quest was so far from simple, it was already a dangerous gamble. "I could try and if I do fall under their thrall, at least you'll be prepared to drag me back out of earshot."

Reyna nodded decisively. "Whenever you're ready then." She said and Will tried to concentrate.

Nico had mentioned that his power to the dead was anchored in his chest like a tether waiting to be called. Healing, on the other hand was more like a second skin, wrapped around your shoulders like a blanket that you could give to another person. Humming was usually enough to heal minor injuries but the worst required singing to Apollo. The songs were instinctive, and he had never paid attention to what he was singing, something he was coming to regret at the moment.

"Would it help if you had an injury to heal?" Reyna asked calmly, beginning to pull out a dagger and Will yelped in horror.

"What are you doing!" He snatched the weapon away from her in shock. "Whether it helps or not, I'm not letting you deliberately harm yourself!"

Reyna just shrugged but strangely enough the threat of injury was enough for Will to get into the right mindset. Like a prophylactic treatment, he considered thoughtfully, before beginning to sing.

Perhaps the words weren't meant to be understood by demigods after all. Even without the adrenaline of an emergency, he couldn't understand what he was singing even as he felt the power in the song swell. It wasn't Greek, Latin or any other language that Will understood but he could feel the way it swept around the two demigods. His Pegasus was neighing in pleasure as his voice swept over over it and with a final nod at Reyna, he urged it forward.

It was apparent the moment his song struck the magic of the Siren's call. Protected as he was by the healing hymn, the thrall was easy to ignore and he almost sighed in relief. It felt like a tug of war between his and the Sirens calls and his every muscle ached as he tensed every time the songs clashed. Together, he and Reyna flew through the clouds; they reached and then crossed the Siren's island and it wasn't until even Will couldn't hear their song as much as he strained, that he stopped.

In hindsight the resulting wave of exhaustion should have been expected. He had never tried healing anyone for as long as he had sung for and even then it had been with pauses to fend off the fatigue. Barely seconds after taking a breath, his head spun violently and he would have fallen off the pegasus if not for Reyna's quick reaction. His vision was dotted with black and he was quite certain that he blacked out. 

When he managed to crack his eyes open, they were on solid ground again, and Reyna was trying to trickle nectar down his throat. The cool liquid soothed his throat that he only then realised was so horribly sore that he couldn't get a word out.

"Don't try to speak." Reyna chided. Her eyes were red and her face was pinched and drawn but that at least Will understood. It hurt to hear of the dreams the Sirens promised and know that they were false. "You sang for nearly six hours straight. Even if it wasn't a song of power, it would have been more than enough to strain your voice."

Will nodded and obediently took another sip. His eyes were heavy and his head ached fiercely but he forced them to stay open. Reyna caught the movement and sighed. "Sleep. I'll keep watch."

Will tried to protest but her glare and his own fatigue were enough to quell any rebellion. He let himself drift off.

* * *

There was a Goddess waiting in his dreams.

The Queen of the Heavens was just as imposing as her title suggested. She wore a Greek style white dress cinched at the waist and a cloak of peacock feathers. Her circlet was exquisite, framing her dark hair beautifully and she carried a sceptre with a lotus atop it. Her eyes were dark and imposing but surprisingly soft. 

"Hera." Will squeaked and almost immediately wanted to kick himself for the disrespect.

Surprisingly, she only shook her head with a sigh. "Honestly, is Nico the only demigod with an ounce of respect?"

Will tensed at Nico's name. "My- My Lady? Do you know if Nico is alright? Could you help us rescue him?"

Hera huffed. "Not very many moons ago, I would have cursed you for your disrespect." She shook her head and it might have been Will's imagination but she looked genuinely sorry. "No, William Solace, I cannot see the child anymore. He has descended far below even his father's realm. He is the only one who can help himself."

Will clenched his fists. 

"I wouldn't lose faith in him so soon, Son of Apollo." Hera scolded. "That boy has gone through more than any hero in history and his determination is second only to his dedication to his loved ones."

"It's still Tartarus." Will said with a shiver. "And I know Nico's been through a lot. That doesn't mean he needs to suffer more!"

Hera's expression softened further. "I'm sorry that he has to do this. If I could have spared him this experience, I would in a heartbeat but the wheels of fate are not so easily turned."

"Do you- do you have any advise?" Will asked instead, refusing to dwell on the thought of a broken Nico emerging from the void of the Pit or worse, remaining there. "Reyna and I have to transport the Athena Parthenos back to Camp and I haven't been able to properly communicate with my father for help."

"Apollo and Artemis are hiding from my husband's wrath. I believe you will find them on the island of their birth." She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I will have to make my move earlier if he does not see logic. I can only hope Nico will be free by then."

"What does Nico have to do with Zeus's mood?"

"I rather suspect that Nico's answers might settle his temper." Hera replied with a small smile. "But no matter," she fixed him with a suddenly serious expression. "You are heading to Split to find Diocletion's sceptre, are you not?"

Will nodded hesitantly.

"Ensure that Reyna Ramirez-Arellano is part of the group that goes to collect it. The keeper won't relinquish it without a specific secret and the Praetor's is the only one that will satisfy him."

"Who is the keeper?" Will asked.

"Names have power, child. He is one of the few who can catch the changes we are affording and with Nico physically unable to challenge him, he will be looking for a replacement."

Will didn't understand what she meant by Nico challenging this mysterious keeper. Perhaps the boy had fought him before? The way Hera spoke didn't seem to imply monster and Will couldn't think of any beings that dealt in secrets.

"You must go now." Hera said suddenly. "Your quest mate has been trying to wake you." 

"Thank you for your help, My Lady." Will said politely. She had been extremely helpful, surprisingly so in fact and a little gratitude never hurt anybody. To his amazement, she returned his smile with one of her own.

"Nico di Angelo cares very deeply about you Will Solace. See that you do not squander that."

Will flushed but before he could reply, he felt the floor fall from under his feet. A minute later he became aware of the increasingly frantic shaking as Reyna tried to wake him.

"I'm up, I'm up." He managed to say, wincing immediately at how scratchy his voice sounded and how much it hurt to just get the words out.

"Thank the Gods." Reyna returned. "Honestly, what happened to 'all Apollo kids wake with the sun'?"

Will had hardly opened his mouth to return the jest when Reyna fixed him with a beady stare. "Don't speak. Your voice sounds like an eighty year old asthmatic with lung cancer. I'd rather you didn't lose your voice, given that it is what saved us this time. If it's not an emergency, then hush."

She had already packed and reloaded the Pegasi and only the remains of a stamped down fire suggested that they had ever been there. "Eat." she said curtly, pressing an incredible smelling bowl into his hands. "It shouldn't take more than a few hours more of travel to get to Split so we can afford to take a break."

"Lady Hera was in my dream last night." Will said, ignoring the exasperated look she sent him as he coughed. "She said you need to be part of the group that goes to collect Diocletion's sceptre."

Reyna tensed. "Did she say why?"

"Apparently the keeper needs a secret and you have one that he would be interested in." Will said apologetically. 

"Which secret?" She bit out. 

"I don't know. But Hera did say that Nico would have also satisfied the keeper of the sceptre."

At that Reyna looked surprised. "Di Angelo? I didn't know I shared secrets with him."

Will just shrugged. As much as he hated it, he knew very little about Nico. Not his specific trauma or his experiences. Besides his sister and his role in the Battle of Manhattan, the son of Hades was a mystery and he knew even less about Reyna. It was obvious that she had also gone through a lot but he didn't think she was comfortable enough to tell him. 

"Come on. We should get going." Reyna said, standing up stiffly. "Are you well enough to move on your own?"

Will tested it. While he was still tired, and his voice was hoarse, he was definitely good enough to fly for a few hours. He hadn't known that healing could take so much out of him and even the Battle of Manhattan had been more taxing mentally than physically. "I'm good."

"Then let's get going."

* * *


	14. A Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Favonius' eyes flashed in annoyance. "This spot has been graced by the powers of Cupid and the West Wind for far longer than you can comprehend. Whether you want it or not, you will be facing my master."
> 
> Reyna knew better than to trust his honeyed words. Her experience with Gods of love had been poor to say the least and the last thing she wanted was another confrontation where she was told that she was unlovable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings and Salutations,
> 
> ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
> 
> This chapter.
> 
> This Godsdamned chapter. Gah I'm so done with it. It refused to f***ing end omg. This stupid monster of a chapter ended up at like 4800 words which is more than one and a half times a normal one. I'm so fed up and so bored of rereading the same damned words. I already hate editing and this chapter was just.....gah! Reyna, my darling, I love you and you are one of the most badass women ever but your character is freaking impossible to get a hang off. I'm already dreading the BoO part of this fic.
> 
> Please leave a comment, maybe the joy of those will heal the horribleness that was writing this chapter and of course kudos are always helpful. Bookmark, subscribe, the whole shebang, please make my day.
> 
> Sorry for the negative author's note, I'm just really bored of this chapter and I do hope that you
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Teaspoon

Reyna watched as the Greek demigod swayed slightly in his seat atop the Pegasus. Unlike her Scipio, the other beast was not tamed by Will and so wasn't as comfortable with its rider and it showed. Clicking her tongue, she flew slightly closer to steer them and adjust his position before he fell off earning a bright grin that truly showed his heritage.

She had found herself becoming surprisingly comfortable with the son of Apollo. When she had asked around about him before the quest, she had received a veritable boatload of compliments ranging from his kind-hearted demeanor to his incredible skills in healing and his cheerful nature.

The second in particular had been truly incredible to watch. While she knew that Apollo's children were among the stronger ones, he had managed a truly incredible feat in his defeat of the Siren's trickery. His hymn of healing had been one of the most powerful she had ever heard and even as she saw the beautiful visions the Sirens promised her, his melody was immediately there to reveal it for the falsity it was.

Despite his inexperience, he was adept and mature enough to know when to push and Reyna with her lifetime of secrets was glad of it.

The newest information he provided was particularly troubling. Reyna knew very well the value of secrets. She wasn't sure which one of them she would have to reveal for the sceptre but she was sure it wouldn't be anything good. Flying in, so to speak, veritably blind was frightening and she could think of no entity that would be satisfied with a secret that only she and perhaps Nico di Angelo would know.

Her expression tightened as she remembered the fate of that particular demigod. They might not have seen eye to eye but the entire legion owed him for his defence of the camp during Polybotes attack and though she would never admit it, she was worried for him. The Pit was beyond formidable, even the Gods feared it and as powerful as Nico was, she couldn't help the frisson of doubt she held.

"How much longer will it be?" Will's voice, carried by the breeze, interrupted her thoughts.

"Not much longer." She replied. "Look ahead." She pointed to a rising spire. "That's where we're headed."

Despite her fears for what lay ahead, she couldn't help the childish joy that filled her as she spotted Diocletion's Palace. The emperor had been one of her and Jason's idols and they had always dreamt of visiting his tomb and finding the sceptre that he was rumoured to have hidden there. Despite knowing that the dream was an impossibility, with the Mare Nostrum being forbidden territory, she remembered finding bits and pieces of information and sharing it with her fellow Praetor as they made ridiculous plans. A slightly bitter smile pulled at her lips.

"Woah!" Will's Pegasus suddenly bucked heavily and Reyna was forced to draw Scipio up as well.

"What happened?" She called sharply.

"Can you see that?" He asked and she squinted in the direction he pointed. "That weird hazy shimmer?"

"No...?" Reyna said, a she failed to see anything besides the tourists. "Is it an Apollo thing?"

Will grimaced. "I swear if one of our powers is seeing glittery sparkles or something, I'm gonna have to have a _talk_ with my father."

Her lips quirked up slightly. "Does it seem- Gah!" She broke off into an aborted scream when a winged figure seemed to melt out of the air. "What...?

Will's arrow was already up and pointed at the... angel? but as she watched, it turned and sped off, large russet wings blowing a breeze at the demigods behind it. Despite the weapons pointed at it- or perhaps him, given the features- he gave them a cheeky look before speeding off again.

"Follow him." Reyna ordered. She couldn't explain it but there was something pushing her forward, to chase behind the figure. "Come on."

The angel led them on a merry chase through the city before finally flying into one of the open windows of Diocletion's Palace.

"We'll have to ditch the Pegasi." Will huffed. "Will they be fine alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Reyna replied, not taking her eyes off their quarry. He had stopped moving, watching them silently from the door before dropping a single rust coloured feather and disappearing entirely. They'd have to go down underground, Reyna realised.

Underground ended up being a vast cellar with thick support columns holding up a vaulted ceiling. The limestone blocks were so old, they had fused together from centuries of moisture, making the place look almost like a naturally formed cave.

The two crept silently through the arched doorways that made up the cellar, weapons at the ready. With a jolt of surprise, Reyna realised that Will was glowing ever so slightly. It rather negated the creeping but she couldn't help but be grateful for the dim light.

"I think I might have discovered that I'm claustrophobic." Will muttered as they passed another crumbling pile of rock.

"I don't particularly blame you." Reyna offered in return. "Can you see anything?"

They passed a terrifying marble bust of Diocletion himself and Will shuddered. "No creepy angel guys here."

And then, from the shadows, directly behind Will, came a voice tinged with disapproval. "Well that's not very nice, is it?"

With a shriek, Will let the arrow fly, piercing the statue through the eye and hurling it through the air. "Di Immortales!"

The winged man was leaning against a nearby column, casually tossing a small bronze hoop in the air. At his feet sat a wicker picnic basket full of fruit. His mouth was quirked into a little half smile as he watched Reyna and Will tense up still further.

"Who are you?" Reyna asked.

"The West Wind, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano." He replied with a slight bow. "Favonius will do well enough for you though your pretty blonde friend might prefer Zephyros." He winked and Will blushed.

"Shouldn't you be having more of an issue with the Greek- Roman switch?" He asked, still slightly pink. Despite his embarrassment, his weapon hadn't dipped and Reyna approved.

Favonius waved his hand dismissively. "I'm a minor god, Will Solace. I'm pretty separated from all your petty mortal squabbles. Sure, I'll have the occasional headache but it's not that bad."

"Why did you lead us here?" Reyna asked. "Are you the keeper of Diocletion's sceptre?"

"Oh goodness no!" The god said, effecting a shocked pose that set her teeth on edge. "That would be my master. I daresay you've already been warned about him."

"Master?"

"Why, Cupid of course!" He said patronisingly.

"Like the shoot arrows, fall in love Cupid?" Will asked incredulously.

"I assure you, it's far more than that, William. And I can guarantee that he's nothing at all like you are imagining."

"What secret does he want?" Reyna demanded brusquely. "We were told that he wanted a secret only Nico and I had."

"Aah, you thought it was as simple as that? Long before Diocletion made a home here, this was a place sought after by those who desired love. I have dwelled here for eons as the one to bring them before my master." 

Will looked mutinous. "We don't desire love," he said. "We're only looking for Diocletion's sceptre."

Favonius' eyes flashed in annoyance. "This spot has been graced by the powers of Cupid and the West Wind for far longer than you can comprehend. Whether you want it or not, you will be facing my master."

Reyna knew better than to trust his honeyed words. Her experience with Gods of love had been poor to say the least and the last thing she wanted was another confrontation where she was told that she was unlovable. 

"Reyna, are you alright?" Will asked with a small frown. "Would you prefer going to Cupid alone?" He gave the God an icy glare. "Because this is beginning to sound a lot like being forcefully outed and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"It's fine." Reyna said tightly. Her knuckles were white on the dagger but they loosened ever so slightly at the son of Apollo's kindness. "I'd rather have you watching my back."

She squared her jaw. "You can take us to Cupid. I'm not afraid of a God of Love."

* * *

Will was more than slightly worried for Reyna. The dots weren't hard to connect- revealing a secret, voluntarily or not, to the God of Love- added up to one very specific torture and he truly didn't want Reyna to have to face it. 

Something about Favonius rubbed him the wrong way too. The God's slavish dedication to his master and his sadistic pleasure at Reyna's discomfort were unsettling to see. At her approval, he transformed them into wisps of cloud without so much as a by your leave and carried them carelessly away. 

The sensation of lacking a physical body was uncomfortable. It felt like the moment before falling down a rollercoaster from the highest point. He could sense the similarly shaped Reyna beside him and the feeling of the wind buffeting them along. They travelled for what felt like a long time, passing water bodies, cities and parks at speeds that would have made him nauseous had he been able to feel his stomach.

He spared a moment of worry for the Pegasi they left behind.

When the wind finally stopped, they were held afloat above what might have been a picturesque village at one point of time but had disintegrated over the centuries. Crumbling ruins and broken streets lay in all directions and it wasn't until Favonius returned them to their human bodies that Will realised just how isolated it was. 

There wasn't a hint of life, not a breath of fresh air or call of a creature and as Will struggled to get used to the overly bulky body he was now inhabiting, he felt the cold sensation of fear creep through his veins. 

"Welcome to Salona,” Favonius said. “Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian! But before that, long before that, it was the home of Cupid.”

The name echoed through the abandoned buildings, buffeted by the breeze of the God's wings and hung heavy above them. For the first time, Will realised exactly why Reyna looked so pale. 

The Preator's normally dark skin was several shades lighter and her expression was noticeably harried. For a girl who Will hadn't ever been able to read she was blatantly nervous and her dark eyes were panicked. Her gaze skittered through the columns and buildings that populated the ghost town, watching for attackers with uncharacteristic trepidation.

"Where is Cupid?" She asked.

Favonius looked ever so slightly impressed. "Are you actually ready to see him?" He asked. "Not every visitor is quite so eager."

Reyna gritted her teeth. "I don't really have a choice. The sceptre is important and unless I face... him, I won't get it."

The god tsked disapprovingly. "And that is exactly why you are not ready, Reyna Avilla-"

"Don't call me that!" She interrupted. "That name is dead."

"- Ramirez-Arellano." He continued as if he hadn't been cut off. "Love is for you and you alone. Your foolish martyrdom has no place in your desire for love. How much do you truly desire it? How far are you willing to go for it?"

"I have always sought it." Reyna replied, her eyes flashing. The gold sword in her hand was practically sparking with her rage. "Lady Aphrodite made it very clear and still I desired it. What more does Cupid want from me?"

The name resounded through the ruins once more and Favonius seemed to catch an invisible cue. "You might want to ask him that yourself." He replied sagely. "And I warn you, whatever you desire, he will be able to see through you." With a final wink in Will's direction, the God disappeared, leaving a single feather behind.

"Keep your guard up." Reyna ordered quietly as the breeze picked up. "Don't underestimate him."

"SO."

The voice boomed in their ears sending the two flinching away from each other.

"YOU COME TO SEEK THE SCEPTRE."

"Show yourself!" Will called back, aiming vaguely in the direction of the voice and letting an arrow fly. It seemed to miss completely, thudding against shattering brick.

"Love does not appear when you demand." Cupid laughed eerily. "Or disappear when you demand, much to many's chagrin."

Reyna yelped, as she was thrown violently against the ruins, tumbling ungracefully under as they collapsed.

"Reyna!" Will dove after her, breathing heavily when she managed to stand back up. 

"What is this guy's problem." Reyna muttered spitefully and Will couldn't help but agree. He was obviously targetting Reyna, golden arrows aimed at her torso even as she sliced them in half while Will shot them off course.

"What do you want?" She called out. "We just want to talk."

"What do _you_ want?" Cupid countered. "You do not want nor need me. And then you have the audacity to call for me."

Will wasn't sure what it was the God had said but Reyna paled abruptly and threw her dagger.

"Missed again!" Cupid taunted. "If you do not even want to hit the target, why do you mourn when you miss?"

"Of course I want it!" Reyna spat. " _I'm not alone!_ "

"Love is alone! Love is lonely! Love is for yourself and yourself only."

Will did not, by any means agree with that definition. To him, love had always been a step up from friendship, a naturally occurring feeling that meant give and take. The kind of selfish desire that Cupid described was far from what he considered ideal and he said as much, ignoring the derisive laughter.

Will had managed to use the conversation to zero in on where Cupid seemed to be. 

"Close your ears", he whispered to Reyna, before whistling as loud as he could. Sonic whistles were an Apollo speciality and he liked to think he had utilised it fairly well over the years, enough to paralyse a God for a second at least.

The piercing sound seemed to succeed because the next four arrows Will shot drew golden ichor when they hit.

"Interesting. Perhaps your way might give you a chance at true love after all."

"So can we get the sceptre now?" Will asked.

"Unfortunately only a Child of the Underworld may wield it and only an officer of Roma can lead the soldiers."

"Reyna is an officer of Rome," Will replied. "And we have children of the Underworld, Hazel and... Nico." His breath hitched.

"Aah... Nico di Angelo." The odd inflection over the name was enough to raise Will's hackles. The God uttered the words delicately like he was savoring a fine wine. "He really was one of my favourites to... teach. A pity my work was undone, though you, Praetor, are just as stubborn."

Unfortunately, neither of the two were quick enough to stop the next arrow from sinking into Reyna's arm and they watched as it evaporated into nothingness.

"See? Even now you reject it."

"Just tell us what we need to do to get the sceptre." Reyna said, expression tight with pain. 

"I told you." He said, surprisingly gently. "And I have no doubt Hera did as well. Just confess."

"I don't know what you want me to say!" Reyna hissed. "All you love Gods are the same with your cryptic comments! _I don't know what secret you want!"_

The oppressive air suddenly evened out and Will managed to take an easy breath. He wasn't sure what was happening but the reprieve was much appreciated. Still, he kept his guard up, whirling around when the air besides him shimmered and the God stepped out.

Will's rather embarrassing first impression was that Cupid looked a lot like Nico. Gently curling dark hair, an olive tint to otherwise pale skin and high cheekbones. It was only his blood red eyes that detracted from the image. They were cold, hard and calculating. Then he recalled the myths about just why the God of Love would look like Nico and flushed so red, he nearly passed out. 

"You are stubborn, Praetor. I thought my mother's words would have been enough." He said, and his voice was deep and warm, wrapping around Will like a blanket before he shook off the feeling. "But I believe that you truly do not know what I'm asking for."

Reyna was, surprisingly enough, looking at Cupid with slight distaste and when she opened her mouth to speak, didn't seem to be affected by his thrall. "Venus's words were... enlightening."

"Not enough apparently." Cupid shook his head. "Tell me, what do you see when you look at me?" 

Reyna looked confused. "A man? Brown hair, red eyes, white wings."

"And you, William Solace," he turned to Will who was still trying to cool his flushed cheeks. "What do you see?"

"Ummm... Black hair-"

"No. Who do you see?" He pressed and Will flushed more.

"Nico." He squeaked out and Reyna's confused expression cleared.

"I'd wager you saw Venus as an unremarkable woman as well, did you not?" 

Reyna's expression had blanked entirely but her trembling fists gave away her discomfort. "What are you saying, Cupid."

"You are not just disinterested in what I have, you are actively disgusted by it. Still you pursue it, still you seek it. You aren't foolish."

"I..."

"Every relationship is not based on Eros. I if you do not desire me, _do not seek me_." His voice lowered still further making his last sentence almost a growl and Reyna flinched.

"But..."

_"Not all companionship is romantic."_

"People don't stay!" Reyna spat bitterly. "You think I don't know that? Jason will find his Piper, Percy will find his Annabeth, Hylla will find the Amazons. There will always be someone else, someone _closer_."

Will flinched.

"Do you truly believe you will enjoy that kind of Love?" Cupid hissed back. "You look at my face and flinch in disgust. You are repelled by love but you still seek it. That is more Pain than Love. You are disrespecting me and disrespecting yourself even more."

"I hated love." She said bitterly. "I hated romance. I hated relationships."

"You hated Eros, romantic love. You never hated love." Will said softly. "You don't need Cupid."

"I still wanted it."

"Wants and needs are different, Praetor." Cupid said, but his voice was almost sad. "I cannot help you but I can tell you that the longer you look for me, the more you are hurting yourself. The more you are hiding yourself."

Reyna looked tired. Without the mantle of her own position and the strength her posture afforded, she looked small and lonely. Abruptly, Will threw his arms around her, holding her tightly as she shuddered. " 'No demigod shall heal you heart.' " She sounded like she was quoting someone. "Venus told me that. I ignored it."

"Avoiding prophecies never help." Will said softly.

"I suppose that's true." She stepped out of the hug and glared at Cupid, some of her old fire burning again in her eyes. "Are you happy now?"

Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy.” Cupid's voice sounded smaller, much more human. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad, you especially, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.”

He dissolved back into the air leaving behind an ivory staff topped with a pure black sphere and golden eagles. Diocletion's sceptre.

Will opened his mouth to say something but Reyna gave him a tight smile. "I'd rather not talk about it until I've had the time to think it over." She took a breath. "But thank you. It was an honour to fight at your back, Will Solace."

* * *

By the time they made their way back to Split, their Pegasi were gone.

"Didn't you say they would be fine?" Will asked, looking around in exasperation. "Where would they even go?"

Reyna frowned. "Scipio knows better than to leave without me and no monster would kill a pegasus without a demigod nearby."

"Reyna!" 

The two spun around, too keyed up to expect anything other than an ambush but to their surprise, it was Jason Grace running towards them with a look of relief.

"Jason." Reyna replied neutrally and Will felt the awkward air emanate from them. "Are the Pegasi with you?"

"Yeah! Leo made a stable for Pegasi, they seemed fairly okay with it and we were just about to start searching for you." He took in their battered appearances with a frown. "What happened to you?"

Will held up the sceptre with an exhausted grin. "We got Diocletion's sceptre. Ran into a bit of trouble for it."

"That's amazing!" Jason lit up. "Leo said that you had a prophetic vision?" He directed at Will. "Do you know what else you've got to do to fulfill it?"

"Our quest is essentially transporting the Athena Parthenos back to Camp." Will replied. "But Nico is supposed to be a part of it as well."

Jason's expression fell. "Didn't- didn't you hear?" He said hesitantly. "He... ummm, he fell-"

"I heard." Will cut him off curtly. "But I'm not ruling him out without absolute proof. Nico is incredible and there's no way he's going to go down so easily."

"Leo's been beating himself up about it." Jason said sadly. "Apparently he used a gift Nemesis had offered to save Hazel and Frank, and thinks Nico's... fall was the payback."

Reyna sucked in a sharp breath. "He saved the other two." She pointed out.

Jason shook his head. "He's not going to see it that way. And he was one of those closest to Nico aside from Hazel."

"I'll talk to him." Will said softly. "I'll try to get him to see it our way."

"That'd be helpful." Jason said, wearily. "We're headed for the House of Hades in Greece right now and I assume you'll be joining us?"

"Until we find Nico." Will said firmly. 

They would find him. 

They had to.

* * *

Leo looked exactly as bad as Will had been dreading.

Back at Camp Half-blood, before Will had taken the Haphaestus demigod under his wing, he had noticed Leo losing weight. His smiles had been dimmer and more often than not, didn't reach his eyes. His caramel complexion had turned sallow and his eyebags were enormous. Will didn't know how his friends hadn't caught the change and though he had nothing but respect for Jason and Piper, he would always hold them slightly responsible for Leo's downward spiral.

It had taken every bit of both his stubborn nature and his endless patience to nag Leo enough to get him to begin taking care of himself. It wasn't until he had spent the entire bonfire night nagging Leo to eat more and sleep that he realised that what had begun as distant concern had morphed into a genuine friendship. 

Leo was hilarious when he wanted to be, a genius with anything mechanical and the most ADHD demigod Will had ever seen. 

He was also horrendously bad at taking care of himself.

From literal days spent without sleep or food to accepting blame for each and every failing of the ship that half the camp was working on, he held himself up to an impossible standard and self destructed every time he failed to meet it. If Will had to guess, he'd think his fatal flaw was some kind of inferiority complex, one where he expected himself to be perfect but excused everyone else when they were not. 

So when their first meeting on the Argo II saw everyone but Leo leaving their posts to see them, he just sighed in annoyance and headed for the noisiest part of the ship. 

"When did you last eat, sleep and what injuries are you hiding?" He asked the pair of scrawny legs that stuck out from under whatever piece of machinery Leo was fixing.

"Will?" Came the disembodied voice and Will resisted the urge to sigh.

"Nope, it is I, the Ghost of Christmas Past." He deadpanned, shaking his arms as if rattling chains.

Leo's face appeared from under the bronze sheet, streaked with grease and sweat. "Pretty sure all ghost content is trademarked by... Nico." His smile dropped immediately and Will winced. The name hung between them awkwardly.

"Well... Glad to see you got here safe." Leo offered a pathetic facsimile of a grin. "How was the scary Praetor?"

" _Reyna_ was great." Will said. "I'm more worried about you." 

"I'm-"

"Don't you dare say you're fine." He warned. "You swore not to lie to me back in camp."

"What do you want me to say?" Leo snapped. "One of my best friends practically comitted suicide and I gave him the damn device to help him do it!"

Will flinched at the word. "You- what? Jason thinks you're guilty because of your debt to Nemesis."

The mechanic smeared more grease as he rubbed his face wearily. "Yeah, that's what I told them. Hazel and I are the only ones to know the truth."

"What truth?"

Without a word, he dug into his belt and pulled a small notebook out. It was simple, he had probably seen the exact same one in the camp store though he wasn't sure what Leo meant by it.

"Read only the first page."

Will did so and blanched. "He wouldn't."

"He asked me for a device that would help him jump down safely. Something like a parachute." Leo said flatly. "I gave it to him."

"How would he even know that he needed it?" Will asked hysterically. "And why would Nico want to jump into Tartarus?"

For the first time, Leo hesitated. "He said the Doors of Death need to be closed from inside. The mortal opening is in Greece; that's where we are headed, but someone needed to close it from Tartarus as well."

"And of course he would be the first person to volunteer himself for the impossible mission." Will muttered softly.

"When the other option was one of us? Always."

"But he has a plan." The son of Apollo said hesitantly. "You said he asked for the parachute, he's obviously planning to survive."

" _He literally wrote a suicide letter._ " Leo shook the offending book violently before throwing it back into his tool belt. "The damn thing is like Pandora's box, I keep wanting to read it and so does Hazel. That's why she gave it to me."

"He's just... being cautious." Will tried to say. "I had a dream, a prophetic one and it showed Reyna and Nico transporting the Athena Parthenos." He didn't mention that it also showed Nico dying. He was fairly certain that was only a possibility and it wasn't exactly helping the point he was trying to make. "He's going to make it out and then we can yell at him for giving us a heart attack."

"It'll be good to yell at someone else for a change." Leo said with a sad smile. "It's usually you two scolding me for working too hard."

Will laughed. "I haven't forgotten. Which reminds me..." He gave Leo his best Doctor Glare. "How many injuries are you hiding?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't have any physical injuries. Calypso made sure of that." 

"Calypso?" Will repeated. "Titaness Calypso? The one Percy asked the gods to free, Calypso?"

"Fat lot of good that did." He muttered spitefully. "They couldn't be bothered to do it and Percy couldn't be bothered to follow up on it. She was just as alone and just as miserable as before."

"You met her?"

"The snow Goddess, Khione, sent me to Ogygia; that's her island." Leo said with the faintest stirrings of a genuine smile. "She was furious. Called me a blight on her paradise and a scrawny excuse for a Demigod. It was brilliant."

"Uh huh." Will offered sceptically. "Sounds real sweet."

"It's not like that." He said, looking lost. "I was in a... really bad place when I got there. I'm not perfect now but she... helped."

Will might not have been a child of Aphrodite but he could see the beginnings of a crush and he smiled softly to himself. "I'm glad you found her then. And I'm sure, once this is done, you'll find her again."

"Of course I will!" Leo said, the brash attitude back in an instant. Will was quite sure now that the mask was at least some part of his coping mechanism and honestly it wasn't one of the least healthy ones. "I'm the Super Sized McSchizzle, man. And if there's anyone who can break the rules of Ogygia, it's me!"

The return of the familiar joke actually startled a laugh out of the son of Apollo and he was pleased to see some of the tension on Leo's shoulders disappear. "Glad to hear it, buddy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT- I'm considering not writing a Nico in Tartarus the second time chapter. I've already written his first trip when he met the twins and the second one is kinda similar to canon Percabeth's journey, with a few changes because of his heritage and the fact that Bob likes him. I planned to just have some of the others see demigod dreams of what happened. If you want to see the full chapter in Nico's PoV I'll consider writing it, so let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> (Also I know that Ogygia happened after Diocletion's sceptre but for the sake of this story, it was before and that's why they were delayed in reaching Split. Calypso's island happened as canon as did most of their trip with small changes with Percabeth's presence.)


End file.
